The Rebellion is a faction of people who disassociated themselves from the Imperium thousands of years ago, after the Fall. They formed an undercover community in the Arctic Ocean.
In the third book, the angels seek to redeem mistakes of the past in attempting to restore Chloe’s child from the other realm, leading them further down the dark path of immortality. However, it transpires that their mission has become the same as Michael, and in pursuing it, they are not only as wrong as he is, but they are setting themselves up for the same cycles of fate in the future. Olivia realises that they need to renew not revive a lost empire and build an improved, balanced civilisation founded upon the principles of morality. The real alchemy occurs as they heed the symbols in nature and focus on building a divine council strong enough to outweigh the Imperium.
The Imperium is now controlling Louis Loral’s former empire (previously governed by the Divine Council). Its elemental sites are desiccated and suppressed, forced to adhere to the strict imperial guidelines, and the new authority has set up its central hub in Scandinavia. The remaining three angels – José, Randolph and Isabelle – along with an underground faction of people opposed to the Imperium, have formed a secret alliance, and are preparing for a time when Michael is overthrown and the Lorallian will be restored. Together, the angels must regroup with the mortals and form the new Divine Council.
With Pierre and Chloe now absent from the story, the main set of characters is reduced once more.
5 main protagonists; 5 main plots.
José and Alejandra reconnect after five years apart and rekindle their love for one another. During an evening’s courtship, José is contacted by his daughter, Corina, trapped in the other realm, and sets out to rescue her. With Alejandra’s help, José learns of the mysterious ships that transport people between realms. They discover a ship docked in a Magisterium-protected dock and José attempts to navigate it, powering the ship with a totem that he stole from Rose Loral. But before they get anywhere, they are caught by the police. José is released on bail because he is the bishop, but Alejandra is sentenced to death. Felipe uncovers that the Magisterium has been hiding the ship from the Imperium and threatens to sell them out unless Alejandra can be spared. The Imperium agrees to spare Alejandra, but Iris forbids Alejandra from seeing José ever again. With Alejandra’s blessing, José continues to seek his ship, and entrusts the monastery to Felipe so as not to be pursued by the Magisterium or his mother, Silvia. Iris forbids José to see Alejandra, threatening to have Alejandra sent to a strict religious convent in Rome. During the ensuing domestic drama, Silvia reveals to Alejandra the underlying reason behind Iris’ formidable nature. A couple of years later, another archangel, Harry, is purported to exist in the French Riviera, and José follows a trail of clues to a port where thousands of ships are docked. Harry tells him that the ships can sail between realms. José gives the totem to Harry and instructs him to sail him towards the place where his daughter resides. They see a mirage of his daughter, but because the current is so strong, the ship is damaged and the link between this realm and his daughter’s realm is broken. Harry advises José to return to Alejandra and their daughters, concentrate on his life with them, and not harbour regrets for the past.
Randolph is dispatched on a mission to the Low Countries, where he is assigned to secure a chemical research facility. Initially, he thinks nothing of it, but he discovers it to be a research project to prolong youthfulness. This project is funded by the Imperium. Randolph is dismissed after a security breach but re-enters the facility after he is dismissed and discovers his boss, Aston, stealing from his own facility. Randolph exposes Aston as the thief, and his boss is revealed to be previously employed by the Magisterium. Randolph wonders what an ex- Magisterium member is doing working at an Imperium-funded facility.
Isabelle has a new man, Dominic, who has returned to the peninsula as a lawyer, working alongside José and Felipe’s estranged mother, Silvia. Isabelle is in love with Dominic, but feels uncertain about her future, having recently discovered that Pierre is alive and well and living in America under a false name, Peter Smith. Pierre returns to Europe in an attempt to persuade Isabelle to come back with him across the Atlantic. Although initially sceptical, Pierre finds that Dominic’s love for Isabelle is genuine when he expresses his wish to marry her. Pierre, realising that his future is elsewhere, departs for America once more in secret. Isabelle is preparing her wedding when she starts experiencing erotic and dangerous daydreams about Michael. These dreams become more frequent and Isabelle, believes he is trying to turn her against Dominic. Not wishing to sabotage her own wedding, Isabelle appoints Alejandra as her maid of honour and José as the best man. Despite Isabelle’s attempts to scorn him, Michael crashes the wedding and honeymoon and attempts to steal Isabelle away into the night. Aphrodite (Isabelle’s former self) takes over Isabelle’s mind and body, locks Dominic in the bathrooms and goes to meet Michael by the water, like how they first met. Michael reveals to her that he has engineered an alternative means of transport between realms, more efficient than the ships. José and Randolph come to her aid and Isabelle/Aphrodite lures José and Randolph to Michael, who opens up a star portal and leads Isabelle/Aphrodite towards it. Dominic escapes, reminds Isabelle of her true identity and Isabelle pushes Michael into the star portal. José uses the star portal to travel back in time and changes the past in order for this outcome to be possible.
Alejandra senses that Silvia and Iris are asking all sorts of questions. She uncovers a map, detailing the whereabouts of the various conspirators, and discovers that Silvia and Iris are actively investigating Chloe’s disappearance. She alerts the others, who bury every magical relic that they have ever come across and come up with a cover story. Nevertheless, Silvia and Iris track down José’s ship and have the ship pulled upwards, where they find the totem. Meanwhile, Olivia is working undercover on a resistance movement. Olivia esteems that the empire’s obsession with eternal life was what led to its downfall, and that, to move forwards, the resistance needs to renew, not revive – to salvage what they can from the empire’s legacy – and move forwards. She assembles a committee of like-minded citizens called the Owl Order and they start to work on dividing the empire’s inheritance between them.
José sees a vision of his daughter, Corina, in Alejandra’s mirror. Upon investigating the mirror’s esoteric origins with a local antique dealer, Ava, José learns about ‘portals’ – gateways into parallel universes. Corina draws a symbol which Alejandra notes resembles the bird gallows on the edge of town and perceive the bird gallows to be a portal. The angels use an airship to ascend through the bird gallows into a parallel universe, Birdland, shaped like a giant tree suspended in space, that defies all logic and order. José ends up imprisoned in a nest where he finds a book written by the narrator, Merle, who turns out to be the empress Randolph encountered when he learned about the Divine Coregency. Through Merle’s book, José learns about a rebellion of people who separated from the Imperium after the original Fall thousands of years ago. José heals a bird, who, with Randolph and Isabelle’s aid, frees the angels and returns them home where they find a message on the airship’s envelope telling about a long, forgotten island in which is buried a deadly weapon. The only person thought to know of its location is Monica, an elusive society host and member of the original council. While José, Randolph and Olivia search for clues in the Greek House, Isabelle entices information out of Felipe who is revealed to have not only replaced Rose Loral’s totem with a fake replica, but also moved the ship and hidden the island’s map in the academy library. José takes Olivia back to the academy library where they find a circle of animal sculptures, a map that reveals the castle’s location in the Arctic Ocean. The three angels set sail for the north without Alejandra and Olivia. On the way, they have a series of disputes culminating in Randolph leaving. José and Isabelle stop at Tak, Iceland, where Isabelle witnesses a lake vision depicting Aphrodite killing Ares, and José finds his daughter Corina only to discover it is a monster impersonating her. Randolph re-joins them in Iceland having found the conch to unlock the ocean. They find the island encased in a shell underneath the water, where the N’veeran rebels are incarcerated in ice, awaiting execution. While Isabelle frees the prisoners, José finds Felipe who persuades him not to enter the portal. Randolph confronts Michael and defeats the monster, “The W’hawl”, who is guarding the island. José, Randolph, Isabelle and Felipe escape the island as it implodes, leaving Michael and Aphrodite to certain death.
Back in the peninsula, Alejandra is visited by seven demons in quick succession. These visitations affect her impending ordinance as a marriage priestess. Alejandra realises that her symptoms are intrinsically related to her relationship with José. José and Randolph dig up the translation of the Emerald Tablet in the hope of finding a remedy. José and Felipe use its instructions to set up an emergency circle of friendship in order to restore the balance of energy flowing through Alejandra. But Alejandra, still hurt by José’s involvement with Chloe, decides that she needs to get away from José and travels to Rome where she can complete her ordination, alone.
Randolph continues to work at the chemical research facility. There, his girlfriend and co-worker, Gunda, is fatally shot and Randolph tries to heal her, but she dies. Randolph reports the shooting to the facility owner, Edna, but she fails to take action. Suspicious, Randolph enlists Velasco to help him investigate the facility’s laboratory where they find several artefacts including Alejandra’s gown from the Good Friday healing and the gold and silver spheres from the cathedral. Velasco is caught and Randolph gets help from José and Isabelle, followed by Dominic. They rescue Velasco, but he is shot during their escape and José heals Velasco. Edna takes José and Velasco into the lab, where she forces José at gunpoint to heal her husband, Ty, who is dying. José transfers his youth into Ty, and crumbles to ashes, setting alight to the facility. Velasco, Randolph and Isabelle chase Edna and Ty out of the facility, but Isabelle is shot. Dying of a bullet wound, Velasco, Randolph and Dominic take Isabelle to Rodrigo, who tries to heal her but fails. Felipe, believing that like Alejandra, he has inherited angel powers, tries to heal Isabelle but only Randolph succeeds. Randolph informs Olivia and Alejandra of José’s death. Edna takes Ty back to their residence, where it transpires that José has transferred his body to Ty in the process; José contains Ty’s soul. José/Ty takes Edna to Rome where he finds Alejandra in a cemetery. Edna persuades José/Ty to kill Alejandra, but José/Ty strangles Edna to death, seeking Alejandra instead. Alejandra stops him from strangling Olivia, and he chases after her. In a moment of lucidity, he explains that Ty’s soul has taken over José’s body and that Alejandra must strike him down with a sceptre. Alejandra cannot bring herself to do it and José/Ty starts strangling Alejandra. In the ensuing struggle, they fall through the window. As they are falling, José/Ty conjures his ruby shield, breaking their fall, which Alejandra finally recognises as José’s soul. Ty dies, and José is restored to his original form by Alejandra’s kiss.
Dominic, now inside the conspiracy, seeks consolation from a psychiatrist. Randolph realises that he has now inherited Jove’s seal from José, which makes him the king. Randolph threatens the psychiatrist, and his reckless actions trigger a chain of events, resulting in Dominic falling into the hands of the Magisterium, who have re-established the Classified Denomination, led by Benjamin (Linda’s apprentice). Dominic plays double-agent to Benjamin, while Isabelle destroys the Magisterium archives. Benjamin gives Dominic a life-or-death ultimatum, drawing a gun and threatening to shoot Dominic unless he can reveal the location of the angels. Dominic draws out his own gun and shoots Benjamin, killing him. Isabelle and Dominic burn Benjamin’s body and prepare to escape across the Atlantic. José takes back Jove’s seal from Randolph and admits to Alejandra that she has suffered knowing him, but she denies this and asks José what he saw inside the star portal.
Randolph witnesses a ship colliding with a submarine in the Mediterranean. The Italian Navy cover up the incident, by imprisoning a submariner, Jason, in the base and reporting his “death” to Jason’s wife, Victoria. José and Randolph, believing an angel to be aboard, rescue Jason and reunite him with his wife. Chloe breaks out of the ship with her daughter, killing naval officers in the process, and the navy place a bounty for her arrest. By this point, José and Isabelle’s mothers, Silvia and Josephine, have discovered their true identities. Chloe arrives in the peninsula, putting the group in danger. Although they are angry at her, they reluctantly agree to help her escape across the Atlantic. Unfortunately, Chloe is turned away at the port and has no other option but to tell the truth. She admits to the group that her real name is Demeter and that Chloe is an innocent woman who she has been impersonating for decades. The group take a vote on whether or not to hand her over to the navy. Olivia, Isabelle and Randolph vote yes, while José, Felipe and Velasco vote no, and Dominic abstains from the vote. It’s a tie, and Alejandra is left to cast the deciding vote. To everyone’s shock, she votes no. Demeter, feeling remorse for her actions, decides to hand herself into the navy. She ends up destroying the naval base and sacrificing herself in the process.
Three exiled members of the Imperium, William, Bert and Dagmar, identify José, Randolph, Isabelle and Alejandra as four prime conspirators and prepare to assassinate them. Olivia and Felipe, having had doubts about the conspiracy, both decide to stay loyal to the group and the six of them attempt to leave Europe. But they are captured by William and imprisoned in the asylum where they await execution. At the asylum, they meet Hayda, the seventh daughter of Louis and Dianne and recall the prophecy that her destiny will save the empire. The six primary protagonists – José, Randolph, Isabelle, Alejandra, Olivia and Felipe – are electrocuted to death, encased in sarcophagi and taken to the cathedral, where they are revived by Hayda, Merle (narrator) and Harry, the friendly archangel. The party escape through the Athanor (which Hayda has reassembled) and drawn into Heaven where the final deliberation of the Lorallian is due to take place. A regatta of ships transports everyone to a crystal palace. There, a Divine Council is formed, consisting of Olivia, Isabelle, Louis, Eduardo, José, Chloe, Hayda, Randolph, Dianne, Enrica, Alejandra and Felipe. Hayda is expelled from the council on account of seeing Lady Venus uncovered in her state of eternal rest and Pierre takes her place, once it has become common knowledge that he is alive. Together, they successfully deactivate the orrery, thereby trapping the remaining Imperium in Heaven. Each of the twelve newly elected council members make a solemn pledge to protect Hayda, are each granted one wish and one position in state and depart in ships on their separate ways.
A year later, the angels and mortals, having accumulated a load of wealth over the last fifty years, decide to blow it all on an all-expenses paid trip to Monte Carlo where they gamble away their lives and binge on expensive champagne, yachts, novelty golf and extravagant parties fuelled by drinking and debauchery. José and Alejandra marry, and the ensemble of characters has one final dance, before returning home to their respective abodes and settling down with their families.
In the third book, the angels seek to redeem mistakes of the past in attempting to restore Chloe’s child from the other realm, leading them further down the dark path of immortality. However, it transpires that their mission has become the same as Michael, and in pursuing it, they are not only as wrong as he is, but they are setting themselves up for the same cycles of fate in the future. Olivia realises that they need to renew not revive a lost empire and build an improved, balanced civilisation founded upon the principles of morality. The real alchemy occurs as they heed the symbols in nature and focus on building a divine council strong enough to outweigh the Imperium.
The Imperium is now controlling Louis Loral’s former empire (previously governed by the Divine Council). Its elemental sites are desiccated and suppressed, forced to adhere to the strict imperial guidelines, and the new authority has set up its central hub in Scandinavia. The remaining three angels – José, Randolph and Isabelle – along with an underground faction of people opposed to the Imperium, have formed a secret alliance, and are preparing for a time when Michael is overthrown and the Lorallian will be restored. Together, the angels must regroup with the mortals and form the new Divine Council.
With Pierre and Chloe now absent from the story, the main set of characters is reduced once more.
5 main protagonists; 5 main plots.
- José - the ships and his search for his daughter, Corina.
- Randolph - the chemical research facility and what they are guarding?
- Isabelle - former betrayal and struggles with Michael.
- Alejandra - Silvia and Iris investigating the conspiracy.
- Olivia - rebuilding of the Divine Council.
José and Alejandra reconnect after five years apart and rekindle their love for one another. During an evening’s courtship, José is contacted by his daughter, Corina, trapped in the other realm, and sets out to rescue her. With Alejandra’s help, José learns of the mysterious ships that transport people between realms. They discover a ship docked in a Magisterium-protected dock and José attempts to navigate it, powering the ship with a totem that he stole from Rose Loral. But before they get anywhere, they are caught by the police. José is released on bail because he is the bishop, but Alejandra is sentenced to death. Felipe uncovers that the Magisterium has been hiding the ship from the Imperium and threatens to sell them out unless Alejandra can be spared. The Imperium agrees to spare Alejandra, but Iris forbids Alejandra from seeing José ever again. With Alejandra’s blessing, José continues to seek his ship, and entrusts the monastery to Felipe so as not to be pursued by the Magisterium or his mother, Silvia. Iris forbids José to see Alejandra, threatening to have Alejandra sent to a strict religious convent in Rome. During the ensuing domestic drama, Silvia reveals to Alejandra the underlying reason behind Iris’ formidable nature. A couple of years later, another archangel, Harry, is purported to exist in the French Riviera, and José follows a trail of clues to a port where thousands of ships are docked. Harry tells him that the ships can sail between realms. José gives the totem to Harry and instructs him to sail him towards the place where his daughter resides. They see a mirage of his daughter, but because the current is so strong, the ship is damaged and the link between this realm and his daughter’s realm is broken. Harry advises José to return to Alejandra and their daughters, concentrate on his life with them, and not harbour regrets for the past.
Randolph is dispatched on a mission to the Low Countries, where he is assigned to secure a chemical research facility. Initially, he thinks nothing of it, but he discovers it to be a research project to prolong youthfulness. This project is funded by the Imperium. Randolph is dismissed after a security breach but re-enters the facility after he is dismissed and discovers his boss, Aston, stealing from his own facility. Randolph exposes Aston as the thief, and his boss is revealed to be previously employed by the Magisterium. Randolph wonders what an ex- Magisterium member is doing working at an Imperium-funded facility.
Isabelle has a new man, Dominic, who has returned to the peninsula as a lawyer, working alongside José and Felipe’s estranged mother, Silvia. Isabelle is in love with Dominic, but feels uncertain about her future, having recently discovered that Pierre is alive and well and living in America under a false name, Peter Smith. Pierre returns to Europe in an attempt to persuade Isabelle to come back with him across the Atlantic. Although initially sceptical, Pierre finds that Dominic’s love for Isabelle is genuine when he expresses his wish to marry her. Pierre, realising that his future is elsewhere, departs for America once more in secret. Isabelle is preparing her wedding when she starts experiencing erotic and dangerous daydreams about Michael. These dreams become more frequent and Isabelle, believes he is trying to turn her against Dominic. Not wishing to sabotage her own wedding, Isabelle appoints Alejandra as her maid of honour and José as the best man. Despite Isabelle’s attempts to scorn him, Michael crashes the wedding and honeymoon and attempts to steal Isabelle away into the night. Aphrodite (Isabelle’s former self) takes over Isabelle’s mind and body, locks Dominic in the bathrooms and goes to meet Michael by the water, like how they first met. Michael reveals to her that he has engineered an alternative means of transport between realms, more efficient than the ships. José and Randolph come to her aid and Isabelle/Aphrodite lures José and Randolph to Michael, who opens up a star portal and leads Isabelle/Aphrodite towards it. Dominic escapes, reminds Isabelle of her true identity and Isabelle pushes Michael into the star portal. José uses the star portal to travel back in time and changes the past in order for this outcome to be possible.
Alejandra senses that Silvia and Iris are asking all sorts of questions. She uncovers a map, detailing the whereabouts of the various conspirators, and discovers that Silvia and Iris are actively investigating Chloe’s disappearance. She alerts the others, who bury every magical relic that they have ever come across and come up with a cover story. Nevertheless, Silvia and Iris track down José’s ship and have the ship pulled upwards, where they find the totem. Meanwhile, Olivia is working undercover on a resistance movement. Olivia esteems that the empire’s obsession with eternal life was what led to its downfall, and that, to move forwards, the resistance needs to renew, not revive – to salvage what they can from the empire’s legacy – and move forwards. She assembles a committee of like-minded citizens called the Owl Order and they start to work on dividing the empire’s inheritance between them.
José sees a vision of his daughter, Corina, in Alejandra’s mirror. Upon investigating the mirror’s esoteric origins with a local antique dealer, Ava, José learns about ‘portals’ – gateways into parallel universes. Corina draws a symbol which Alejandra notes resembles the bird gallows on the edge of town and perceive the bird gallows to be a portal. The angels use an airship to ascend through the bird gallows into a parallel universe, Birdland, shaped like a giant tree suspended in space, that defies all logic and order. José ends up imprisoned in a nest where he finds a book written by the narrator, Merle, who turns out to be the empress Randolph encountered when he learned about the Divine Coregency. Through Merle’s book, José learns about a rebellion of people who separated from the Imperium after the original Fall thousands of years ago. José heals a bird, who, with Randolph and Isabelle’s aid, frees the angels and returns them home where they find a message on the airship’s envelope telling about a long, forgotten island in which is buried a deadly weapon. The only person thought to know of its location is Monica, an elusive society host and member of the original council. While José, Randolph and Olivia search for clues in the Greek House, Isabelle entices information out of Felipe who is revealed to have not only replaced Rose Loral’s totem with a fake replica, but also moved the ship and hidden the island’s map in the academy library. José takes Olivia back to the academy library where they find a circle of animal sculptures, a map that reveals the castle’s location in the Arctic Ocean. The three angels set sail for the north without Alejandra and Olivia. On the way, they have a series of disputes culminating in Randolph leaving. José and Isabelle stop at Tak, Iceland, where Isabelle witnesses a lake vision depicting Aphrodite killing Ares, and José finds his daughter Corina only to discover it is a monster impersonating her. Randolph re-joins them in Iceland having found the conch to unlock the ocean. They find the island encased in a shell underneath the water, where the N’veeran rebels are incarcerated in ice, awaiting execution. While Isabelle frees the prisoners, José finds Felipe who persuades him not to enter the portal. Randolph confronts Michael and defeats the monster, “The W’hawl”, who is guarding the island. José, Randolph, Isabelle and Felipe escape the island as it implodes, leaving Michael and Aphrodite to certain death.
Back in the peninsula, Alejandra is visited by seven demons in quick succession. These visitations affect her impending ordinance as a marriage priestess. Alejandra realises that her symptoms are intrinsically related to her relationship with José. José and Randolph dig up the translation of the Emerald Tablet in the hope of finding a remedy. José and Felipe use its instructions to set up an emergency circle of friendship in order to restore the balance of energy flowing through Alejandra. But Alejandra, still hurt by José’s involvement with Chloe, decides that she needs to get away from José and travels to Rome where she can complete her ordination, alone.
Randolph continues to work at the chemical research facility. There, his girlfriend and co-worker, Gunda, is fatally shot and Randolph tries to heal her, but she dies. Randolph reports the shooting to the facility owner, Edna, but she fails to take action. Suspicious, Randolph enlists Velasco to help him investigate the facility’s laboratory where they find several artefacts including Alejandra’s gown from the Good Friday healing and the gold and silver spheres from the cathedral. Velasco is caught and Randolph gets help from José and Isabelle, followed by Dominic. They rescue Velasco, but he is shot during their escape and José heals Velasco. Edna takes José and Velasco into the lab, where she forces José at gunpoint to heal her husband, Ty, who is dying. José transfers his youth into Ty, and crumbles to ashes, setting alight to the facility. Velasco, Randolph and Isabelle chase Edna and Ty out of the facility, but Isabelle is shot. Dying of a bullet wound, Velasco, Randolph and Dominic take Isabelle to Rodrigo, who tries to heal her but fails. Felipe, believing that like Alejandra, he has inherited angel powers, tries to heal Isabelle but only Randolph succeeds. Randolph informs Olivia and Alejandra of José’s death. Edna takes Ty back to their residence, where it transpires that José has transferred his body to Ty in the process; José contains Ty’s soul. José/Ty takes Edna to Rome where he finds Alejandra in a cemetery. Edna persuades José/Ty to kill Alejandra, but José/Ty strangles Edna to death, seeking Alejandra instead. Alejandra stops him from strangling Olivia, and he chases after her. In a moment of lucidity, he explains that Ty’s soul has taken over José’s body and that Alejandra must strike him down with a sceptre. Alejandra cannot bring herself to do it and José/Ty starts strangling Alejandra. In the ensuing struggle, they fall through the window. As they are falling, José/Ty conjures his ruby shield, breaking their fall, which Alejandra finally recognises as José’s soul. Ty dies, and José is restored to his original form by Alejandra’s kiss.
Dominic, now inside the conspiracy, seeks consolation from a psychiatrist. Randolph realises that he has now inherited Jove’s seal from José, which makes him the king. Randolph threatens the psychiatrist, and his reckless actions trigger a chain of events, resulting in Dominic falling into the hands of the Magisterium, who have re-established the Classified Denomination, led by Benjamin (Linda’s apprentice). Dominic plays double-agent to Benjamin, while Isabelle destroys the Magisterium archives. Benjamin gives Dominic a life-or-death ultimatum, drawing a gun and threatening to shoot Dominic unless he can reveal the location of the angels. Dominic draws out his own gun and shoots Benjamin, killing him. Isabelle and Dominic burn Benjamin’s body and prepare to escape across the Atlantic. José takes back Jove’s seal from Randolph and admits to Alejandra that she has suffered knowing him, but she denies this and asks José what he saw inside the star portal.
Randolph witnesses a ship colliding with a submarine in the Mediterranean. The Italian Navy cover up the incident, by imprisoning a submariner, Jason, in the base and reporting his “death” to Jason’s wife, Victoria. José and Randolph, believing an angel to be aboard, rescue Jason and reunite him with his wife. Chloe breaks out of the ship with her daughter, killing naval officers in the process, and the navy place a bounty for her arrest. By this point, José and Isabelle’s mothers, Silvia and Josephine, have discovered their true identities. Chloe arrives in the peninsula, putting the group in danger. Although they are angry at her, they reluctantly agree to help her escape across the Atlantic. Unfortunately, Chloe is turned away at the port and has no other option but to tell the truth. She admits to the group that her real name is Demeter and that Chloe is an innocent woman who she has been impersonating for decades. The group take a vote on whether or not to hand her over to the navy. Olivia, Isabelle and Randolph vote yes, while José, Felipe and Velasco vote no, and Dominic abstains from the vote. It’s a tie, and Alejandra is left to cast the deciding vote. To everyone’s shock, she votes no. Demeter, feeling remorse for her actions, decides to hand herself into the navy. She ends up destroying the naval base and sacrificing herself in the process.
Three exiled members of the Imperium, William, Bert and Dagmar, identify José, Randolph, Isabelle and Alejandra as four prime conspirators and prepare to assassinate them. Olivia and Felipe, having had doubts about the conspiracy, both decide to stay loyal to the group and the six of them attempt to leave Europe. But they are captured by William and imprisoned in the asylum where they await execution. At the asylum, they meet Hayda, the seventh daughter of Louis and Dianne and recall the prophecy that her destiny will save the empire. The six primary protagonists – José, Randolph, Isabelle, Alejandra, Olivia and Felipe – are electrocuted to death, encased in sarcophagi and taken to the cathedral, where they are revived by Hayda, Merle (narrator) and Harry, the friendly archangel. The party escape through the Athanor (which Hayda has reassembled) and drawn into Heaven where the final deliberation of the Lorallian is due to take place. A regatta of ships transports everyone to a crystal palace. There, a Divine Council is formed, consisting of Olivia, Isabelle, Louis, Eduardo, José, Chloe, Hayda, Randolph, Dianne, Enrica, Alejandra and Felipe. Hayda is expelled from the council on account of seeing Lady Venus uncovered in her state of eternal rest and Pierre takes her place, once it has become common knowledge that he is alive. Together, they successfully deactivate the orrery, thereby trapping the remaining Imperium in Heaven. Each of the twelve newly elected council members make a solemn pledge to protect Hayda, are each granted one wish and one position in state and depart in ships on their separate ways.
A year later, the angels and mortals, having accumulated a load of wealth over the last fifty years, decide to blow it all on an all-expenses paid trip to Monte Carlo where they gamble away their lives and binge on expensive champagne, yachts, novelty golf and extravagant parties fuelled by drinking and debauchery. José and Alejandra marry, and the ensemble of characters has one final dance, before returning home to their respective abodes and settling down with their families.
