Genesis: Falling Angel (6 page)

Chapter 8 – Gabrielle

I covered myself the instant he awakened. I was not sure why I did it. My modesty and chastity were not threatened. It must’ve been his stare,
which was so calm like he had never even been unconscious. He was so intently focused on me that I felt like he could see beneath the white dress, beneath my very flesh. My arms had crossed over my chest, not so much to shield it, but to shield the heart beating beneath it.

Then he spoke.

For a moment, the world was silent. There was no warm desert breeze. The sun had lost all its heat. The grass beneath my fingers no longer had feeling, neither soft nor rough. The oasis suddenly seemed to darken and vanish completely, leaving no one in the world but him. The man and the ghost I had become were sitting, alone, in the darkness. Yes, it was a ghost I had become, merely an empty shell. I was completely meaningless. Overall, the world seemed so much
less
. All of it was nothing compared to the strange pull of the man’s voice. Nothing mattered but the dark richness of it, the soothing tug at my very being.

His words were simple. “Who am I?”

Just like that, I had ceased to be me. I was nothing but a shocked nobody seated before someone that was more splendid than any mortal I had come across. The strange pull became stronger and stronger. Then, as quickly as it had come, it dissipated. Everything returned to the way it was before I had even had the chance to react.

He said more words then, and I was once more locked in his grasp. I bit my lip, though no pain followed. I hugged myself as if my life depended on shielding from him. I forced myself to meet his gaze, to take in his beautiful smile. Onc
e the spell had broken, I shook my head. “I’m sorry,” I said softly. “I’m not sure I heard you at all. I must still be in shock from my encounter with that horrible creature.” My eyes flickered up to his, pleading for forgiveness.

He arched an eyebrow in confusion. All those years of watching humans were finally paying off, and I was thrilled at my ability to recognize the emotion. His eyes lit up with what seemed to be understanding, and he nodded sharply.

“I said that my name is Adrian,” he began. This time, there was no strange pull. “And that I’m very pleased to meet you. Thank you for helping me. It was you who healed me, yes?”

I decided to discern as much as I could about him. His black shirt and jeans were too dark for him to be a citizen of a city in the middle of the desert. His posture was relaxed, almost arrogant, which led me to assume that his life hadn’t been nearly as hard as so many other humans. He merely smirked as I examined him, and I felt my face heat up from the attention. He was muscled more like a runner is muscled, thin and lithe. I was no expert on humans, and it was wrong of me to assume I could learn anything without asking.

He reminded me so much of a Fallen. The Fallen were all so dark and proud. They scorned the heavens, the God that ruled them. They had unnatural beauty that met somewhere between human and angel, never quite relating to either. They had voices that lulled humans in, telling them to do things that made my Father weep. Perhaps humans were no better than Fallen now.

Once again, I was getting ahead of myself. “No, it wasn’t me,” I said quickly, not offering an explanation. “Thank you for saving
me
. Did you really fight that thing?” I didn’t know what to call it, but I knew he would remember the ugly beast that had held me too tightly to breathe.

“A troll,” he said, amus
ed. “I believe we created the trolls. I believe the key to the creation of a lot of these demons all stems from up here.” He tapped his head lightly. Monsters came from human minds? That was an unpleasant thought. “I’m shocked you don’t know what a troll is, honestly. But it was no problem, really. Trolls are big, but they’re not too clever.” He grinned at me, looking pleased.

His boldness was making me nervous. My arms were still crossed over my chest. “Did you,” I began, trailing off. Did you kill it? I wanted t
o ask it so badly. Whether it was a creature of earth or Heaven, nothing outright needed to die. It had been hungry, so it had sought prey. It didn’t seem evil, necessarily.

“Kill it?” he finished, reading my thoughts. “No, I don’t think so.
I blinded the guy, though.” He made a gesture like he was throwing something. “Don’t ask how. It’s a long story, and I’m a bit too tired for excitement.” His eyes flashed with an emotion I had trouble discerning. “Anyways, I’m more interested in you. Where are you from? What brings you to the middle of the desert? How on earth did you manage to almost get eaten by a troll?” He said it all with a spark of humor, but his gaze had become very serious.

I had no idea what to say. I was not
even capable of lying. In fact, if there was one thing I hated, it was lying. Gabriel was fairly good at it, claiming it was necessary to hide the truth at times to protect others. Though I needed to keep my identity hidden, there was no point in trying to lie. The entire assortment of little human “tells” for lying would be bound to interrupt any attempt I made. My face would surely become red, my heart would pound, and I would stammer. Instead, I told him a truth. “I can’t really tell you,” I said, casting my eyes downward. “It would jeopardize too much, you see.”

He laughed at this, though the laugh was more like a mocking bark. “First thing you should know about humans: you need to be careful what you say to them when you think we’re sleeping.” He gestured to me. “You
spoke to me, and I heard you. You’re an angel, then?”

My blood ran cold. I could only nod.

“Weird,” he said. “Didn’t you guys kind of up and leave us all here to be tortured?”

The accusation made my cold blood boil. I did not respond.

“Does your kind get some sort of sick thrill from our pain?” he whispered, and he rose to his feet. His beauty had turned harsh, cold. It was amazing how a sleeping human could change into a snarling wolf upon awakening. “It was because you abandoned us. God abandoned us.”

Once more, I was silent.

He crawled over to me, and I continued moving away until my back hit a tree. His face was inches from mine, his violet eyes becoming like hard amethysts. “Tell me what we did to deserve this. Tell me your Father has not forsaken us. Go ahead, lie to me. See if you can even form the words with your chaste lips.” So he’d caught on to the inability to lie.

He gripped my jaw.
“Did you come to enjoy the new Hell?”

That’s when my anger poured out. I wrenched myself from his grasp. “Humanity is not doomed because angels returned to
Heaven. Humanity is doomed because it is sinful. Humans are proud, greedy, lustful, gluttonous, wrathful, envious, and slothful. It’s disturbing how far you let your race go. I pitied you. I mourned you. However, when God decides that his children must be punished, angels must turn deaf ears to their screams. A naughty child must be taught a lesson, don’t you agree? Your ignorance is frightening, saddening even. To think that humans believe so little of us! That God would abandon them for no reason! If all humans are as arrogant as you, this place suits them.” I was panting heavily now, eyes burning into his.

His lips twitched into a smirk. “Interesting.”

My hands clapped over my mouth. What had I done? I should’ve kept my mouth shut. The new mortal side of me was already bleeding into the angelic. I had more emotion, which meant more anger and even the capability of hatred. How had I let him goad me on? How had I let him make me lose my temper? How could I have told him that he deserved Hell, in any form? “I’m so sorry,” I whispered, hands rising to cover my mouth, to hold back the sobs. Tears fell from my eyes, pouring in steady streams down my heated face.

His triumphant smirk vanished in an instant. “Hey, relax now,” he said awkwardly. “Everyone gets angry sometimes. It’s human, right?” This made me cry harder. “Come on, I was just messing with you!” He sighed, covering his own face
with his hands in what I assumed to be an expression of giving up.

“It was wrong of me to say that,” I choked out. “I love humans. I adore them. I put them above my own race! It hurts too much to see you all suffer like this. That’s why I came here instead of Gabriel. I wanted it to end.”

I caught him flinching at the mention of Gabriel’s name. My crying was no more than sniffles now. “You actually knew of God,” I accused. “You knew of him. You know of Gabriel. I didn’t think there was anyone left that remembered.”

He smiled and said, “There are more of us than you think.” The words were smoother, carrying the dizzying pull from earlier. “Will you quit crying if I tell you how I know?”

I nodded, wiping away the remaining tears on my face. I was on the verge of hating him, but anything besides cruel taunts was welcome now.

“Okay,” he started, glancing toward the sun. I hadn’t realized how late it had gotten. T
here had been too much excitement for one day. It was setting now, casting red and orange across the sky. It was as if the heavens themselves were wounded, bleeding onto the earth with their open hearts. The thought disturbed me, and I brushed it off quickly. Adrian—and I dreaded to use his name after so long—finally looked toward the sky.

“My mother liked to think that the war in the heavens ended at sunset, and the blood spilled
never left the sky. God left it, fresh, in the sky to remember the fallen.” He raised an eyebrow. “Mother always was a bit crazy.”

“That’s an interesting story,” I said, tearing my eyes away from the colors. “But there was no blood spilled. Also, our blood is not red like yours.” His blood had been black. I shuddered to think of it. “Your mother, what is she like?”

He paused, locking his gaze with mine. “If you are lucky, you’ll never have to meet her.” He said his words with such cold sureness that I shivered. He blinked once, looking puzzled. “Sorry, she’s just a bit crazy. You know how moms are.” He smirked. “Or do you?”

“I only have my Father,” I replied proudly. “That’s all I need. But you were going to tell me how you know of Him.”

“Well, I grew up in Luxuria. Yeah, cringe all you want. It’s not a very healthy place for humans. The air is just a cloud of pheromones, and we’re more like pets than slaves to the demons there. My mother was actually of a high rank. Men and women, human and demon, sought her out on a regular basis. So we lived pretty well. Mother grew up in a family that was still familiar with the old ways. Each night, if she’d had a little too much to drink, she’d come and sit by my bed to tell me a story. I learned of Adam and Eve, Noah and his ark, Moses leading the Hebrews out of Egypt, the crucifixion, and more. I became enthralled, and I searched everywhere to find the book she’d spoken of. I found it. I found an old library outside of the city, filled with forbidden literature. Luckily, I was fairly sneaky and managed to sneak into the library for months on end.”

“Were you ever seen?” I asked.

“No. I read the entire book before the library was found and destroyed at the end of the year. I believe in the Father that sent you.” His eyes flashed then. “But I hate him, Gabrielle.”

I could not bear to fight with him once more. I was weary from a day of surviving in the new world. I needed sleep, or so I assumed. Humans slept each night, sometimes more often, and I had to become accustomed to the needs of my new body.

“So how do you know Gabriel?” Adrian asked off-handedly. In fact, it was so casual that even I was suspicious.

“He’s a very dear friend,” I said simply. “I was named for him. He is one of the greatest among
us. Without Michael and him, I wouldn’t know anything of history or angelic customs. I owe my very life to him.” It was as personal as I would get. How could I properly describe Gabriel, after all? He was perfect. He was nice, beautiful, wise, and very brave. I was nothing more than his shadow. The thought made me frown. Adrian must’ve caught this quickly.

“Well, it’s getting late,” he said, casting a knowing glance toward me. “It’s too late to begin walking. How about I keep an eye out for more trolls and you just lie down and rest?” At my hesitant look, he added, “Don’t worry. If I wanted to kill you, I would’ve done it already.”

It wasn’t the assurance I was looking for, but whether he was an arrogant human or not, he had blinded a troll. I assumed that was not a feat just anyone could accomplish when danger hit. He was the best and only guardian I had for now, and the fact that he had not attacked me yet only added to my resolve. “All right,” I said softly. I lied down upon the grass, and although it was not comfortable in the very least, I fell asleep with ease. Even more, I fell into what the humans would call a “dream.”

In my dream, I was arguing with Gabriel. I was watching myself from a distance, viewing the angry contortions of my face. Without warning, Gabriel’s sword pierced my abdomen. I stared at the scene in shock, watching as my blood fell from the heavens, staining the blue sky of earth with red streaks.

Chapter 9 – Adrian

After she fell asleep, I took to staring up at the night sky. The moon was dark tonight, and unlike many demons, I loved it. The moon was light, and its purity weakened me as it waxed. The waning moon was preferred, but the new moon was beautiful. The stars were another story. They affected no one besides mortals, who had seemed so fascinated by the twinkling lights. They feared the darkness, and any tiny, hesitant light was welcomed.

The fact that mortals had never noticed the incubi was a mystery. They crept into beds, filling human heads with dreams full of desire. When the incubi got bored, they’d add a touch of fear. So many woke to wet sheets and racing hearts. Their heads were filled with memories of voices sweet as honey, caresses that made them moan in anticipation, and a final release that haunted the victims for their entire lives. They often wasted away, craving a touch and release no mortal could provide.

The thoughts were quickly chased away as I gazed at Gabrielle. Humans threw around the term “sleeping angel,” but nothing could compare to the beauty of a real angel. Boyish or not, she possessed the unnatural beauty that so many artists had failed to capture. If only she didn’t snore.

I had not fed in weeks. Lilith didn’t really count. Her life force was hollow, her body soulless. Sex with her was unfulfilling, forced even. Queen or not, I held a deep hatred for her. I hated touching her ever-changing body. I hated the way she made my head hurt with her games. I hated the way that she would leave my bed early in the morning, flickering form redressing with ease. Then she would return to Superbia, to the arms of a Fallen. The thought made me sick. The Fallen were as empty as she, and I suppose it comforted her to be around beings as soulless as she.

She claimed I had a soul, though. It was dark with the sin of lust, but it existed nonetheless. As long as I didn’t die on earth, I wouldn’
t return to Hell. So I didn’t really give a damn about what color my soul was. Lilith cared that I even had one. It was why I wasn’t leading the other six sins, and the Fallen was. She claimed I was too human for her.

I could see her point, really. Humans had marked me. When a human shares such an intimate act with another human, it marks them. They develop bonds, chemicals that scream for more. Incubi were different. Incubi fed off the life force, taking some of what that human was and making it their own. My body was filled with emotions, and my head was filled with voices. It was a curse. The seduction was wonderful, sure. Being able to charm anyone, male or female, had its perks. After a while, it became dull. Feeding was almost painful with my almost flawless memory.

Although I could have anyone I wanted, whenever I wanted, there was a drawback. Incubi were the lowest of the low. We were worthless in the eyes of other demons, whores forced to mate with humans over and over again. We were amusing in a way, as we were as ruled by hunger as much as vampires. Even the humans didn’t acknowledge us, spending time focusing on the damn bloodsuckers. We were almost invisible. We were a complete joke.

My musings had led me to being oblivious when the sun started to rise. I blinked a few times at the light, and then looked to Gabrielle. Her forehead was scrunched up, her eyes tightly shut. Her jaw was clenched. Someone didn’t like the light, apparently.

Her eyes opened and she shielded them groggily. “Did I sleep through the day?” she asked, looking at the colors of the sky with horror.

I bit my lip to keep from laughing, and then replied, “No. The sun is rising. The colors can be very similar.”

She looked relieved, yet unsure of how to respond to my presence. Her white dress was fairly dirty, her golden hair tangled from a night of tossing and turning. It was strange. I had expected a tidier angel.

Her stomach growled, and her eyes widened with shock. She looked to me as if to say,
am I dying
? This time, I burst into laughter. I fell over from my seat on the ground, holding my sides. Once I’d calmed down enough to answer her, I found her staring at me quizzically. I decided to clear things up for her. “You seem to know a bit about anatomy and human culture. However, there’s one thing that puzzles me here. Don’t you know that humans get hungry?”

I assumed she was blushing since it was hard to tell through her sunburn. “Of course,” she said, arms crossed over her stomach.

“Well there’s no food here,” I said. “It could be a while before we find any. A few days, even.”

She made no move to complain, smiling softly. “I knew this would be hard. I’ll be fine.” Her eyes turned up to me. “You know a lot about this new world, I bet. Human or not, you’d have to know about the seven cities. Please teach me!” She exclaimed the last part of her sentence with such vigor that I was momentarily stunned.

Teach her? What was I supposed to teach her? The earth was overrun, dying. The humans were suffering. The cities stood proudly, heavily fortified and filled to the brim with demons. What was I supposed to say beyond that? “What do you want to know?” I settled on.

She frowned, pondering this. “I want to know about the cities. What’s in them? What are they like?”

“I guess I could give it a shot,” I said slowly. I would not name my brothers and sisters. The angel would never have to know of them. I would try my best on the cities. “The city we’re outside of right now is Ira, or Wrath. It’s made of entirely stone, save for this big iron gate. It’s mostly the place where human slaves come from. It was also the place where other cities send their slaves once they become useless. There are these big metal boxes that sort of act as ovens. Slaves are shoved into them, and they are cremated alive. It’s full of hellhounds, wraiths, Reapers, and trolls. The Reapers are the only ones you have to worry about, but more on them some other time.” I hated those idiots. Thanatos had poor taste in servants.

I continued on, choosing Gula next. If I could scare her with the stories, maybe I wouldn’t get to Luxuria. I didn’t want to describe Lust to an angel. It’d be too much work. I chose not to look at her expression as I said, “Humans in Gula, or Gluttony, are typically emaciated. The city has tons of food and everything, but they constantly want more. They fight like animals over scraps. You have to be careful there, though. Everyone
looks
human, but a good part of the population consists of shapeshifters.”

“What are shapeshifters?” she asked, though she had not asked what the other creatures from Ira were.

“They’re like humans, but they can turn into animals or half-man, half-beast monsters. They’re very violent. Often, they tear humans apart for fun.” I finally chanced a look at her.

She looked really ill. Her brow was furrowed in worry. I decided to continue, regardless. “So anyways, then there’s Invidia, or Envy. Every citizen has to get a tattoo of a snake. I’m really not sure why. They’re very distrustful because
they’re all thieves, rapists, and murderers. They’re all envious of each other, no matter how much they have. The city is filled with goblins, banshees, basilisks, and ghouls. And then—”

“No more,” Gabrielle said softly. “Please. No more.”

So I stopped. I watched her carefully, waiting for her to burst into tears once more. She was so sensitive to the new world. She was sensitive to the plight of the humans. She was sensitive to my words.

I wondered where else she was sensitive.

I shook my head, realizing that Gabrielle had actually said something while I’d been lost in thought. “Can you repeat that?” I asked with a grin.

This was the one time I silently thanked God that angels weren’t mind readers. She looked at me as though she was trying to do just that: read my mind. I shook my head slightly, my grin fading to an egotistical smirk.

“Where I’m from, there are no secrets. There are no hidden thoughts,” she whispered, lips pursed in confusion.

“Welcome to earth. We don’t share everything with each other. We lie, even. So you need to learn to pick out details from nothing. The emotion in a person’s eyes,
their body language, and their tone all say what they’re trying to hide.”

“What are you trying to hide?”

I grinned once more. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

She looked at me, one eyebrow arched. “Yes.”

How blunt. At least she was showing something that wasn’t too naïve. It was almost a confident statement. “You never told me what you said,” I replied to veer her away from the topic.

Realization washed over her features. “I’m here for a reason, and I believe I won’t get anywhere here unless I share it with you.”

Here it was: the answer to the question of her appearance. Any sign of amusement vanished.

She took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. “Air, it’s so strange. How we need it.” She smiled. “But I digress. Lilith is the one that is causing all of this, right?”

“Yeah,” I said slowly.

“Well, that’s why I’m here: t
o restore the earth. If Lilith is cast down into Hell, her servants will follow. It seems strange for an angel to speak of killing, yes, but we are as much warriors as we are healers and messengers,” she said.

I had expected a longer explanation. “You realize that Lilith is the demon mother, right? She is the absolute ruler over every creature infesting this earth. Do you really think you can do that?”

She bit her lip. “Well, I was hoping you could help me.”

My lips parted to tell her “no,” to tell her that it was a suicide mission. However, if pretending to be this girl’s friend and ally helped me take her to Lilith, I was all too willing. “I’m in,” I said.

This was apparently the wrong thing to say. She looked suspicious. Apparently she wasn’t as naïve as I thought. “If it’s so dangerous, why are you so eager?”

Well, might as well lie again. “If God sent you, and I’m the first to find you, then I must be m
eant to be your guide.” There I was, playing the God card.

She brightened at this. “My thoughts exactly!”

“Why wait?” I said, feeding off her excitement. “Let’s get started now. The journey could take a while. We’ll have to go through the seven regions to reach Superbia.”

“Of course!” she exclaimed.

“We’ll need supplies, too.” Of course I could’ve flown off while she was sleeping and brought supplies, but I knew of caves that Reapers kept supplies in for missions. I’m sure the Reapers wouldn’t mind if I looked through one of their storages. They wouldn’t notice anything missing. The creeps never ate much to begin with. “You might want to get a drink of water. This will be a long trip.”

She ran to the pool without hesitation, stumbling slightly. The whole ordeal was almost too easy. God had stepped onto the playing field, so he had to be planning something. The question was simple: “what?” What could God be using this poor, naïve girl for? She drank greedily from the pool, and I watched her as if something might swoop down and snatch her away from me at
any moment. I couldn’t lose her. She would earn me more favor with Lilith than ever before. Maybe she’d even demote the Fallen in Superbia. Maybe Luxuria would become the capital. Maybe—

A roar came from overhead. I jumped to my feet, dashing to Gabrielle
’s side in a heartbeat. She was too stunned to move, apparently. I tried to get her to move to the shade, but her eyes were transfixed on the sky. Finally, I scooped her up in my arms, making a mad dash for one of the trees. Once there, I turned my eyes to the sky and set Gabrielle down. Anger flared up within me.

A golden dragon circled overhead, letting out another earth-shaking roar. The beasts were a nuisance to me. What was one doing so far away from Avaritia? The greedy lizards were always near treasure. There was nothing in Ira except ash and blood. Obviously, the dragon had no idea where it was going.

When it finally left, it took a few moments for Gabrielle to speak. “What was that thing?” she whispered as though it could hear her.

“Walk with me. We need to get moving.” The sun wasn’t high up yet. There was still time to make it to a cave.

“What was that thing?” she repeated with a hysterical note in her voice.

“It was a
dragon. They’re vermin, basically,” I replied, grasping her hand. I pulled her forward, toward the cave with renewed vigor. “Walk faster before it comes back. They eat humans sometimes. They don’t even like how we taste. They just think that it’s fun to watch us squirm. They’re usually in Avaritia, so I have absolutely no idea what one is doing so far out here.” I observed the skies. “They have human forms as well. They can fool you easily, so just watch the eyes because they have an unnatural shine to them. Their skin is hard and cold, mimicking their scales.”

She looked even more scared now. I sighed. “Just stay close and you’ll be fine, all right?” She was getting to be more trouble than she was worth.

She was silent the rest of the way to the cave. I’m not sure how long we were walking. At some point, she started limping. She began to slow us down with it, and I grew tired of her stubbornness. When I made to help her, she shooed me away, not meeting my gaze. I finally scooped her up once more, and she turned away from me. Her feet were swollen. I had forgotten that she had never walked in a human body.

She was light. Her skin had begun to peel from her sunburn, though she hadn’t brought it up. Maybe angels were a bit proud after all.