Five minutes with Samael from Angel of Mercy

Iris: Iris here, and I’m talking to Samael, the former angel of death, now one of the Fallen, who gave part of his Grace to Mercy at the beginning of our story, accidentally imbuing her with angelic powers. Wow, that’s a mouthful! Thanks for joining me today, Sam, I know you’re not always comfortable talking to people.

[I notice right off the bat, he sits with perfect posture, eyes a little wide with uncertainty maybe]

Sam: I do tend to avoid people, it’s true. I am pleased to be here though, but I’m not entirely sure what it is you want from me.

Iris: It’s okay, Sam, I won’t bite, I promise. I’ve never interviewed a fallen angel before, how long have you been living among the regular folk?

Sam: It has been close to two millenia since I was… since I began to dwell here on Earth.

Iris: That’s a long time. What do you do all day long every day? I understand you don’t sleep either, what do you do to keep busy?

Sam: I tend to my books, and there is much need for judgment among your kind. Though I no longer serve in an official capacity, I do mete out justice when I have the opportunity to.

Iris: How do you do that?

Sam: I can see the quality of their souls.

Iris: Really… what does my soul look like?

Sam: [His head tilts to one side as he studies me and the hairs on the back of my neck start to stand up] You’re a vibrant turquoise with flecks of purple, quite lovely in fact. It marks you as a highly energetic person, deeply spiritual and caring.

Iris: Um, thank you. Is that what you were doing in that alley with the guy who attacked you and Mercy? What was his name… Weatie? Meting out justice?

Sam: Indeed. His soul was riddled with darkness and evil, he deserved to be struck down. [He nods earnestly, completely convinced of his authority to do so]

Iris: Only instead he knifed you and then Mercy. How did that happen?

Sam: [His head hangs in shame, like a sad little boy] I was distracted when she entered the alley. If I had only kept my head, she might not have been injured at all.

Iris: You can’t blame yourself for something like that, chance accidents happen all the time. [He doesn't appear to be very soothed by my words] Are there many fallen angels walking around on the city streets?

Sam: I’m not at liberty to say.

Iris: Fair enough, but there’s at least you and Adam. The two of you go way back, don’t you? It seems like an odd friendship, you’re both so different.

Sam: There was a time when we were not so different, but our paths diverged when we became among the fallen. [His face is so open and honest, I can't help but ask him about it]

Iris: what ah, what did you do that got you cast out of heaven?

Sam: [No such luck, his face instantly shutters and he begins to rise from the chair] I’d rather not discuss it, perhaps I should go…

Iris: No, no, no wait! It’s cool, you don’t have to answer anything you don’t want to. Just tell me to shove it and we’ll move on, okay?

Sam: Tell you to shove what? [His head tilts again in confusion]

Iris: Um, nevermind, moving on… Let’s talk about Mercy. [He visibly brightens with that change in topic] Are you her guardian angel?

Sam: No, nothing so formal as that. I’d never seen her before that night she was attacked in the alley trying to help me.

Iris: That was quite a gift to a total stranger. Why did you do it? Give her part of your Grace if you didn’t know her at all?

Sam: [There is a long pause as he muddles his way through it] I… hardly know. I only know that I couldn’t allow her to die, not when her only error in judgment was to come to my aid – a stranger as well. She would have surely died had I not intervened. I had to use my Grace to heal her before it was too late.

Iris: Did you know that some of your Grace would end up rubbing off on her when you did it?

Sam: No, I had no idea. [He seems very insistent on this point]

Iris: Would you do it again?

Sam: Most certainly. [This time there is no hesitation at all]

Iris: Even though now you’re in hot water with God and the heavenly host?

Sam: I have long been out of their good graces, the rewards far outstripped any negative consequences.

Iris: Namely now that Mercy is “something new” you like to say. Is that just a fancy way of saying she’s part angel now?

Sam: There has never been any like her before, but I draw comfort in the knowledge that she has borne it remarkably well.

Iris: You like her a lot, don’t you?

Sam: I do, she is numbered among the few I call friend in this world.

Iris: What about as something more?

Sam: I don’t understand. [Again, he blinks, utterly baffled]

Iris: Well, you give a girl part of yourself, that’s gotta create quite a bond between you. Are you sure your feelings don’t run a little deeper than friendship?

Sam: [His head turns to one side as if considering it, but doesn't offer any kind of response]

Iris: Moving on… What can you tell us about where Adam’s been hiding out?

Sam: I have no idea, I’m not the boss of him.

Iris: I beg your pardon?

Sam: Is that not the right phrase? He does not share such things with me, he comes and goes as he pleases.

Iris: But he is still around, right? You have been in touch with him?

Sam: [He goes very still, a nervous look on his face] Maybe…

Iris: What did he tell you about what’s coming after Mercy? It sure seemed to freak her out.

Sam: I merely told her about the prophecy.

Iris: Prophecy?

Sam: [nothing but silence]

Iris: Okay, that’s about all the time we have for today. Thanks for talking to me, Sam, hopefully we can do it again sometime.

Sam: Why?

Iris: Because people are interested in what you have to say.

Sam: [a dubious expression settles over his features] If you say so…

Thanks for reading, guys. Stay tuned for the next Between the Scenes interview with Adam, the fallen angel from Angel of Mercy.

*If there are other characters you’d like Iris to interview, or burning questions you wish she’d asked, please drop her a line in the comments section here, she adores fan mail.

** The picture above is not an actual depiction of Sam, merely an interpretation of the author’s vision of the character.