Daystar (75 page)

Paimon looked at Earth.
 
“We have ours.
 
We’re defending this place when the planet’s energy shield fails in Hell.
 
Are you guys here for that too?”

Andy arrived with Apple and Belial in tow.
 
Andy shook his head.
 
“Apple and Belial are switching you spots.
 
Paimon, Dahlia needs a new sun built here once Earth is swallowed by Hell.”

“Oh.”
 
Paimon stuffed his hands in his pant pockets.
 
“She knows I can’t do that by myself right?
 
I am short a set of wings and I believe the title of Light Bringer is taken.”

Berith nodded.
 
“She’s aware.
 
We have two options.
 
Either Lucifer comes back and does it for us, not likely right now, or we get Gabriel to help you.”

Paimon made a face.
 
“Why would
he
help
me?
”

Andy shrugged.
 
“We’re supposed to offer him whatever he needs or wants to get him on our side.”

Paimon’s lips twitched up in a smile.
 
“That shit.”
 
He looked at Furcas.
 
“Devious bastard.”

Furcas smiled.
 
“Not such a twat anymore?”

“No he still is, but…”
 
Paimon shook his head.
 
“Forcing us to need his help, that’s something I would have done.”

Andy smirked.
 
“Wouldn’t he just switch sides if that was the case?”

Paimon laughed.
 
“What fun would that be?
 
He wants to be needed.”
 
He sighed.
 
“Needed by
me
of all people as well.”

Belial waved them off.
 
“I think what you guys need is to get out of the way now, Dahlia is ready to close.”

Andy leaned over her sharp bits and kissed her on the lips.
 
“Be safe.”

Berith crushed Apple to him.
 
“Boy or girl, do you know?”

Apple kissed his cheek.
 
“Boy and very healthy.”

Berith’s breath hitched.
 
“Good and you?”

Apple grinned.
 
“I am healthy of course.
 
Go play with the boys and make bombs.”
 
She kissed him on the lips.
 
“We’ll be fine.”
 
She pushed him away from her.

Furcas turned to the girls and saluted.
 
“Good hunting.
 
If you see a girl that looks like a mini Dahlia but with rows of razor teeth, cut her head off and save it for us.
 
She’s a nasty piece of work, can teleport all over the place.
 
We lost her somewhere.”
 
He collected his gemmed angels and followed Berith and Andy.

Paimon bowed and trailed Furcas.
 
“We’re serious about that head.”

Dahlia watched Paimon, Furcas, Berith, and Andy split apart from the planet and move far enough out of the way that they were no longer in her path.
 
A few angels flew at her, but she simply wished them out of existence and they disappeared.
 
Dahlia felt the growing heat and light from behind her.
 
She could wait no longer.

Dahlia dove into the portal.
 
The area between Hell and space shifted.
 
She sank into the darkness and fused with her realm.
 
The portal stretched, shaped like her wings.
 
Dahlia glimpsed into her world and saw the decorations Raphael had put up.
 
Selaphiel glowed, giving his energy to the realm of matter to keep it lit.
 
He looked at her, recognizing Raphael in her eyes.
 
Dahlia gave him a quick smile.

Dahlia faced Earth.
 
She flapped her wings and enclosed them around the planet.
 
She covered over the area entirely, throwing it into deep maroon gloom.
 
She closed her eyes and the portal disappeared from space as she pulled herself, the planet, and everything in-between into Hell.

Berith, Furcas, Paimon, and Andy stared at the empty space where nothing remained.
 
The heat from the supernova hit them.
 
Berith, Andy, and Paimon lit up brilliantly bright.
 
Furcas and his angels felt vaguely nauseous.

Paimon grinned and cracked his knuckles.
 
“All right,
bomb
time!”
 
He waved his hands around in the heat.
 
“Come to me lovely raw materials!”

Berith let Azrael down gently.
 
“We are playing again.”

Azrael grinned.
 
“With whom, Berith!”

Andy smiled and pointed to the legions of angels that had not been caught between Dahlia and the Earth when the portal closed.
 
The space around them glowed bright with their presence.
 
“Them.”

Furcas grouped into a formation with his gemmed angels.
 
He looked at Andy.
 
“We’ll be the last line of defense around Paimon.”

Andy nodded and smirked at Berith.
 
“Free for all?”

Berith looked at his swords and younger brother.
 
“I suppose, we’ll leave something for you.”

***

Apple and Belial flew through the gloom.
 
Between them and the planet, the space was transparent, but beyond that was a wall of fluid substance that curved around them in a dark shell.

Apple grouped her blood angels around her.
 
She searched for the main light source and gaped.
 
“Giant light bulb?”

Belial looked up and grinned.
 
“Selaphiel is in it!
 
Where did Dahlia go?”

“Don’t see her.”
 
Apple shook her head as Raphael’s neon ice and resin angels came to her side.
 
Their webbed oily wings were made up of the same hellish ooze that encapsulated this place.
 

Whitney’s stone angels joined Belial.
 
Belial cartwheeled away.
 
“I will take the other side of the planet.
 
Whistle if you need help.”
 
She flew off.
 
Chains and boulders preceded her, smashing through wailers and fire breathers.

Apple rubbed her abdomen and put her back to the planet.
 
There were countless shockers waiting for her with lightning in their wings.
 
Apple grinned and clawed at the air with her hands.
 
Hundreds of shockers turned on their own and lit up the sky.

***

Dahlia no longer had a form or body; she was Hell.
 
Her force resided at her long empty throne, a twisting pillar of black flame.
 
From it, she focused on keeping Hell from consuming the little planet and the beings around it.

She was vaguely aware of Selaphiel providing light to the whole area.
 
She was conscious of the life forms here and the dead.
 
The shield around the planet broke apart as human souls were unfettered.
 
Her energy could no longer provide a shield in a place that was all made up of that energy.

Without the shield, Ouroboros struggled to keep air on the planet.
 
Dahlia shifted her thoughts and adjusted gravity to keep the oxygen and other vital elements from separating and reverting to dark matter.
 

Hell ultimately wanted to be one thing, solid, one consciousness.
 
Only her Archangels or those without a physical substance, creatures of Heaven or the souls of the dead, could remain themselves without her to aid them.
 
They did not have components to melt into here.
 
But the others were in constant threat from her realm.

Dahlia let go of her awareness of the battles Belial and Apple engaged in.
 
She saw Gabriel and Gaea and she let that go too.
 
She emptied herself of emotions that would ensnare her thoughts.
 
She could not afford to think like that, she did not have the energy.
 
Dahlia opened her consciousness and saw all and nothing in Hell.
 
She was the fire and the fire was in everything.

***

THE SUN HAS BEEN BROKEN.

Whitney kept her face calm.
 
Michael squeezed her hand.
 
She looked down as his eyes returned to blue.
 
She touched his forehead.
 
“We have unpleasant company.”

Michael’s eyes flicked up.
 
He kept his face blank.
 
“I see.”

MICHAEL, YOUR BROTHER IS WEAKENED AND NEEDS TO BE FINISHED OFF.
 
GO AND—

A black flame took residence next to the throne of white.

WHAT IS THAT?
 
His fire moved away from them and stormed towards the throne.

Whitney looked to Michael.
 
“Did you find what you needed?”

Michael sat up and tucked his knees to his chest.
 
“I find I have made cause for more questions.”

WHAT ARE YOU?

The black light danced on a throne of its own.
 
“Do you not recognize me?”
 
Dahlia’s voice rang through the air.

Whitney grinned.
 
“Dahlia!”

GET OUT OF MY REALM!
 
YOU WERE BANISHED!

The black flame swirled into the air.
 
“I am not in your realm, but I reside in my throne in Hell.
 
I know now how you peeked in my realm without being invited there.
 
An interesting device these thrones are.
 
It is too bad their purpose was forgotten and then misused by you for deceit.”

GET OUT!

“You cannot send me out of here.
 
Not from this one place our connection point.”

The golden fire threw itself at the black, but they were as oil and water, separate, unable to touch one another.
 
Michael watched the duel with curiosity.
 
“I believe my time is quite near.”
 
He looked to Whitney and squeezed her hand once.
 
“So I wanted to thank you first.”

Whitney gaped.
 
“But you said you only had more questions!
 
You did not get what you seek?”

“No, I got what I sought.”
 
He appeared calm.
 
“I know my purpose now, which was all I needed, my reason, my truth.”
 
He sighed.
 
“All other truths are less important than the one you hold for yourself.”

Whitney nodded.
 
“So now what?”

“I wait.
 
Will you wait with me?”

“Of course.”
 
She sat beside him and they stared at the two flames.

***

Bean dropped to the ground and held her sides.
 
She still felt Jegudiel’s touch on her body.
 
When she closed her eyes, she could see his face.
 
A cry escaped her lips and pain spread across her skin.
 
Bean wiped her eyes.
 
Three-inch long opal spines pierced her flesh from the inside out and stood on end across her skin.
 
Bean stared at the hair-thin needles.
 
She felt better as if they had drawn the pain out of her.
 
A breeze passed by and the quills bent along with it.

The sky above lost its light.
 
Bean stared into the air as Hell enveloped the planet.
 
She gaped at the giant light bulb in the sky; it cast the world in a blue glow.
 
The replacement stars were five pointed, a cutout moon shared space with them.
 
Raphael had even created a few paper comets.
 
The moon had a smiley face drawn on it.
 
Bean managed to smile.

Her smile faltered as the red light shield around the planet dissolved.
 
Heaven’s angels swarmed the skies, able to invade without being vaporized.
 
Bean whipped her head around to gaze at Eden.
 
Seven of the Lilliam firstborn dove for it as they concentrated their powers there.
 
Ra and Ifrit came last.
 
The earth rumbled.
 
Titan shifted metal and encased the city in a shell, black and opaque, impervious to attacks.
 
The city sank into the ground and Leviathan moved water over the surface.
 
Bean felt moderately better, then remembered she was on the outside alone.
 
She made a face.
 
“Well that’s just great.”