Angels of War (Angels of War Trilogy Book 1) (32 page)

Maria nodded. “I’ll try keeping an eye on him when the fighting starts. I’ll get Juggernaut,” she said and dipped back into the theater.
 

Joan waited until the Marine walked outside the theater with Maria at his side. “Both of you change into your armor. We’re going to take a short flight.”

The three angels flew southwest from Denver. The city dropped away from their feet as they climbed high into the air. Lights blinked out in large sections within Denver. Someone turned off the power grid, good idea she thought. The military brought their own power with them, enough to run two Denver sized cities.
 

The mountain range darkened on the eastern side. The west however, blazed in a fiery red. The sun perched above the horizon began to sink, hauling daylight into the dark depths of night.

The angels winged their way outside the city limits and dove towards the Rockies. Below them sat an amphitheater cut from red stone and shrouded in semi darkness. The two followed Joan as she approached the stage and landed.

Joan closed her eyes and inhaled the air scented with spruce. She opened her eyes to take in the two colossal red rock pillars. Both stood three hundred feet tall, one perched to their left and the other on their right. The pillars jutted from the earth like guardians to protect the stage located between their sandstone bodies.
 

The amphitheater seats, carved from sandstone, swept up to form a half bowl around the stage near the two monoliths. The theater reminded her of when she studied in Greece, attending Epictetus’s lectures.

Joan turned to the two angels who stood enraptured by the beautiful rocks. “Okura. He told Temeculus we are not done training, one of our spies informed me.” She recalled the Cherub’s sweet breath against her ear.
 

Juggernaut gritted his white teeth. “What made him turn?”

Joan shook her head. “I’m not sure. But I think I can turn him back.”

Maria’s pretty lips turned down into a scowl. “Why? He’s cost us too much, Joan. He should suffer.”

“I can’t judge him, Maria. I can only save him. I do not want to lose him. We can’t afford to lose anyone.”

Juggernaut’s right hand, thick with muscle and lined with veins, toyed with the hilt on his sword. He faced the dimming starless skies. “We need to do something with him. I came close to cutting him down this morning.”

Maria’s face tightened. “We can’t trust him, Joan. What if he tries to kill you?”

Joan’s brown eyes settled on the sun. The star slipped behind the jagged mountains, weak red light played along the horizon for a few seconds and winked out. “He’s my responsibility. I’ll deal with whatever he does.”

Juggernaut shoulders sagged. “Okay, Joan, but if he endangers us…”

“…I’ll kill him myself,” she said with ice in her voice and glared at the massive angel who dropped his eyes to the ground.

“Okay.”

“Now back to business.” Joan pointed at the stage with a steady finger. “This place is called the Garden of Angels. Ages ago angels once lived with humans. Both would gather here to enjoy themselves. The two stone pillars here, are centuries worn statues of angels.”
 

Joan mounted the sandstone steps to the stage. She drew her gladius. The fine edge sparkled in a quick ripple. She pointed the tip towards the flat sandstone and drove her gladius into the smooth rock at her feet. The ground rumbled underneath. The flat rock cracked, chunks broke off and tumbled downward into the dark hole the angel created with her weapon.

“When Satan and the other fallen angels fled to earth, they remembered this place and entered Hell through here,” she said and lifted her sword from the ground. She waited for the earth to stop its quake. She took cautious steps towards the steep edge.
 

Maria seized her blade hilt. Juggernaut slid his silver weapon from its sheath. Both angels approached the dark ledge.

Joan’s nostrils flared. “Smell that?”

Juggernaut set his jaw. “Sulfur,” he said.

Joan stepped forward and tested the weakened ground with her feet. Her angelic sight lit the world below. Steps sat twenty feet down the crack she made in the earth. “Below us, the steps to Hell,” she said.
 

Excitement bubbled up in Joan’s voice. Her eyes widened, the pupils turned silver. She stared back at her two warriors.

Maria knitted her eyebrows. “Are you alright, Joan?”

Joan smiled. “They can’t escape unless the Key sings the proper notes to open the gate,” she said and pointed her sword at the old broken steps hidden beyond their sight. “They can throw their worthless bodies against those magnificent doors for all eternity, and they will never open.”
 

Juggernaut took a deep breath. “The world is so ancient and alien below, the stench of sulfur is centuries old.”

“I agree, Juggernaut,” Joan said.
 

Maria flicked her eyes to Joan. “I think we should go, Joan. We need to get ready for the morning,” she said.
 

The night sky darkened to a flat black. The foul sulfur made Joan’s stomach ache. Shadows from trees and branches stretched over the three like broken fingers. A heavy silence filled the area, not even an owl’s hoot echoed against the crags and stony drops.
 

Joan lowered her blade. “Let’s leave this place. Pray tonight my dear angels. Tomorrow will be a special day, a day destined to test us all.”
 

58

Joan sat in the silent War Center located in Mile High stadium where she drank hot coffee in a green mug with the words infantry stenciled on the side in capital letters. The place carried a pre-dawn Greyhound bus station atmosphere. A few soldiers milled about and checked the digital map upon the wall.
 

The Black Army crawled along Route I-70 depicted as red blips headed towards the Rocky Mountains. Outside the center, and under a black starless night, soldiers continued to prepare for battle.

The angel reclined in a comfortable seat above the activities below her. She gazed at the map in detachment. She tried to capture some alone time before the actual fight. Her mind swirled from one subject to another. She needed the troops confident. Their worried whispers echoed into the night, despite her orders for them to get some sleep. A few slept in peace while others did not.
 

General Perkins sauntered into the room, glanced at the huge digital map on the far wall. He surveyed the theater with his hard brown eyes. The tall slender man with thick gray hair spotted Joan reclined above the War Center.

Perkins set his jaw and climbed the stairs in twos as he approached Joan. He took a seat, one removed from her. He remained silent for a few minutes. His eyes gazed over the big map, his long slender arms relaxed on the armrests as the enemy advanced.

General Perkins laced his fingers together. “They should be here by sunup, don’t you agree?”

Joan nodded, sipped her coffee. She decided to read Perkins’s mind and did. “You believe we will win, but you don’t believe in God.”

The general hunched his slender shoulders. “I believe in this great country, Joan, and I will defend the United States to the utmost of my ability. As for God, I believe in Him, yet I don’t like Him either.” He made a fist and relaxed the hand. “Don’t get me wrong, Joan. I don’t love the devil either, he can kiss my narrow white ass along with those other bastards in Hell,” he said.

Joan slid her eyes towards the general. “I guess your opinion holds?”

General Perkins lifted his chin, his large Adam’s apple bobbed. “I lost my daughter in 9/11, Joan. Others lived and she didn’t.” Perkins shook his head. “A gifted girl beyond the word, a beautiful girl. Played piano, painted, owned a business.”
 

Perkins stared at his folded hands, parted his lips to display white teeth. “He took her from me.” Perkins glanced towards the ceiling. “So I made a point to kill everything on this planet going against this country.”

“The war isn’t about this country, this is about the world.”
 

Perkins smiled. “Yea, well, I keep hearing those words from the U.N.” He managed a short laugh, returned Joan’s stare. “But if we fall, what do you think everyone else is going to do?”

Joan nodded and turned to the screen. The attacking army jumped five miles, next twenty. Temeculus decided to speed up their travel. She blinked, Perkins groaned next to her. “Yea, Satan is hard at work.”

Perkins shifted in his seat, his eyes narrowed. The workers below became busy. “This place is gonna get hot real soon, Joan.”

Joan drained her coffee, sat the mug in the cup holder next to her. “I hope you change your mind, General Perkins.” She needed to check the armor and get the angels ready. And, feed the troops their pre-battle steak and eggs breakfast. Joan rose from her seat.

General Perkins stood and outstretched a hand towards her. “I doubt I’ll change my mind. Don’t worry though, I’m gonna do my best to send as many of those monsters back to where they came from.”

Joan shook the general’s hand. “Good luck.”

“Same to you, may God be with you.”

Joan paused, smiled. “I’m surprised, general.”

“He is with me, don’t understand why, since I’m so distant from Him.” Perkins gave Joan a lazy two-fingered salute and strolled down the stairs towards the action. The War Center became crowded within minutes. Soldiers, sleepy and nervous, poured through the front door in droves.

Joan exhaled. She walked further up the stairs and called out her angels to ready the troops for battle.

By the time Joan reached the hangar located on the airport’s far end, soldiers packed the front doors in an effort to get a peek at the Guardians and their armor. Military Police arrived, erected wooden barricades, and moved the crowd back to allow the food trucks to pull up along the immense hangar doors.
 

The Guardians, still dressed in their gray battle fatigues, filed outside the hangar small door to grab their breakfast.
 

Cooks handed the Guardians sturdy plastic plates piled high with steak, eggs, and potatoes. The Guardians vanished into another smaller door built into the hangar front door.
 

Joan entered the hangar, a soldier prepared to stand to announce her arrival, but she ordered all the soldiers to finish their breakfast. She milled through the soldiers, shaking hands, and taking some group selfies.
 

She worked her way to the stage located in the hangar. Daisy Lane, Maria, Owen, Juggernaut, and Okura waited for her on stage next to a huge purple curtain. The Guardians inhaled their breakfast and gathered before the curtain, eager to view the hidden surprise.
 

Joan approached her angels, waved them together in a circle. “The Black Army should be here by first light. Temeculus is using his Hell born powers to speed things up a bit.”

Juggernaut smiled. “He’ll be wasted by the time he gets here.”

“Yes, but no less dangerous. Once the troops are finished eating, help them get into their armor. They will be nervous getting dressed. The dress rehearsals went well. Now the reckoning is upon them, they will need our help.”
 

Daisy Lane swept her teammates with green eyes. “We’ve gotten this far angels. I’m nervous and I’m not going to lie to you. Yet I understand the job before us. We can lead, fight, and push those bastards back.”

Maria lifted her chin. “Well said, Daisy Lane.” She out stretched her hand. Daisy clasped her friend’s forearm and Maria clasped hers. The angels exchanged the warrior grasp with each other. By the time they finished, the soldiers behind them stood silent.
 

Joan turned around to face the troops. “Guardians.”

“Rodger That.” They shouted in unison, their voices shook the hangar.

“Attention.” Their boots made one flawless stamp. “Maria, do the honors.”

Maria pulled on a huge golden rope. The heavy curtain fell away and vanished from sight to reveal the Guardians silver armor hung on countless racks.

Joan changed into her armor, the angels behind her changed into theirs. “Fall out by company and receive your armor.” The troops gathered in several lines. They moved forward as the angels handed out their armor.
 

The troops, men and women, dressed where they stood, and helped each other. They tightened straps, set greaves, adjusted helmets and checked scabbards fitted with their swords.
 

Once dressed, the Guardians gathered in one large formation. The ten thousand Guardians stood steady. Their silver armor gleamed off the overhead fluorescent lights above, their faces serene and minds ready.

Joan appraised them. “Fearless,” she said and drew her gladius. “Guardians, battle formations.”
 

The Guardians performed an about face. The large hangar doors slid open exposing the morning darkness. The troops outside cheered.

59

The sun came upon Colorado bright and strong, rising from the east to pour golden light over Denver. The city gleamed. A powerful beacon filled with hope for all humanity.

Joan stood on the highest mountain located near Denver. Snow drifted in gentle powder around her. She wore her full armor. Its gold glinted from the fresh sun. Her eyes scanned the western horizon for the Black Army. Her arms covered in golden armor hung loose at her sides. Her huge wings relaxed upon her back.
 

Joan raised her left hand. A golden staff and pennant appeared in her grasp. The white flag, bordered in gold, snapped and furled in the frigid breeze. Stitched upon the pennant sat a gold hilted sword with a silver blade sewn from silk. The sword bisected angel wings sewn from white silk.

Joan raised the staff and drove the pointed base into the rock beneath her feet. She lifted her head, the pennant snapped against the cold snow dusted wind atop the mountain. Her white horsehair plume danced from the wintry air.

The angel wanted to be the first to spot the Black Army emerge from the west. She scanned both sky and earth for their first sign. She would not allow impatience to outstrip her, but the wait since she readied the troops in the morning darkness tried her.