Godforsaken: Book 1 (Shade of Light) (29 page)

“We should fight altogether as one to rise
against God,” Samael asked sarcastically. “That’s your theory?”

“It’s not a theory, it’s the truth. But
nothing can convince me to go against Father, ever.”

Both of them trailed off. Dark clouds began
expanding and spreading over Eden. A big shadow came and loomed
above the garden.

“After so many years you’ve finally proved
it,” Michael broke the silence.

“I told you that Saraqael is a traitor,”
Samael reminded grumpily.

“Yes, but I didn’t have any evidence against
him.”

“Now you’ve got it. Raphael has told you
already?”

“Yes. Only two things; about Saraqael, and
you taking the girl from Earth to Eden.”

“I–”

“I just wonder,” Michael cut him off with a
gesture. “How did you know that Saraqael would show up in
Dudael?”

“As you told the archangels about me heading
for the prison, he had to notify Lucifer,” Samael explained. “That
was a good chance for him to get me to open the gates of Eden. Or
rather, give him Lily. But he overestimated his power and didn’t
know about Raphael.”

“Why were you so sure I would tell the
others about your plans?”

“Because you wanted to discover the traitor
as much as I did,” Samael remarked with a grin. “The storm is near,
and Saraqael needn’t cover up his true intentions anymore. Lucifer
has gathered more power than before. I daresay that for the chance
to win – to beat Lucifer – you have to join me down here.”

“I’d like to, but Father’s angry with you,”
Michael said in disappointment, making Samael look at him. “I’ve
got an order to leave you alone in Eden’s protection. You knew the
rule, and you broke it regardless.”

“So now I know what I’m struggling for,”
Samael put in sharply.

Michael looked at him sorrowfully, as though
this was to be his and Samael’s last meeting. His cold blue eyes
seemed to crack, revealing his heart and his love for his youngest
brother, then the ice in his eyes returned. He patted Samael’s
shoulder, nodded in place of good-bye, then opened his wings. They
illuminated the area like a heavenly lamp in the middle of a vast
darkness. His light reached even Lily where she stood rooted in
place, watching the two angels on the top of the rock.

Michael’s wings waved, lifting him up. He
hung in mid-air for a while, then rushed up into the clouds. The
weather began clearing as the archangel left Eden, the wind quieted
down. The lightning disappeared, but the dark clouds yet
remained.

A weak breeze brought dewy air toward Lily
and Samael, where they sat on a stone nearby a waterfall. Samael’s
wing was wrapped around her, covering her against the cold. The sun
sat behind dark clouds. It was the first time Eden had seen
autumn.

Lily admired the unique beauty of nature
while being held in Samael’s warm embrace, but her heart felt
uneasy. The servants of Eden were preparing for an upcoming war,
and Lucifer was about to knock at the gates. There was a very
difficult time that lay ahead. Lily knew that Samael was alone in
this war and that help wouldn’t come from anywhere. Maybe she
didn’t know what the gray-winged angel was capable of, but her
heart told her that he wouldn’t be able to stand against Lucifer’s
army for long.

“Such a beautiful place,” she said, bringing
Samael back from his thoughts.

“Yeah,” Samael muttered. “Adam used to sit
on this stone and watch the waterfall. And there,” he pointed the
opposite bank, “Lucifer saw Eve for the first time.”

“Do you really think you can defeat him,
Samael?” She changed the subject. Her hands jolted nervously as she
was waiting for the answer, her patience run thin.

“You have to trust me, Lily.”

“I do trust you.”

“Then why do you ask?”

“I just want to know,” Lily sighed. “I don’t
want something to happen to you,” she confessed, dropping her eyes.
“You could let them have me and then you would have nothing to do
with the war.”

“Do you love me so much, that you’re ready
to sacrifice yourself for a devil like me?” Samael asked
surprised.

“Don’t talk like that,” she narrowed her
eyes. “You aren’t a devil. You’re brighter than any other angel
I’ve seen.”

“Then you’re blind,” Samael pressed his lips
and looked aside. Quiet fell for a little while.

“Raphael told me that I shouldn’t trust you,
that you were dangerous and selfish,” Lily traced her finger over
his cheek bringing his eyes back at her, “But he doesn’t know you
at all.”

“He knows me, believe me,” Samael grinned.
“You're the one who's misled. Until I met you, I was exactly what
Raphael thought I was. Didn’t you see how popular I was in
Dudael?”

“Everybody makes mistakes,” Lily
insisted.

“No, Lily, my mistakes are different,” he
sighed looking up at the cloudy sky. “You can’t ever feel the same
as me, when I see Heaven but can’t hold out my hand and reach it.
Heaven – the place I was born, my homeland. Every time Father
summons me, I sit at the same table with him, playing chess,
talking to him and looking out the window. That window overlooks
Heaven beneath in all its splendor. My eyes see it, but my lungs
can’t feel its air. I know why he calls me to play chess regularly,
to torture me and remind me of what I have lost,” Lily saw a big,
beautiful city reflected in his eyes.

“Doesn’t he know that you killed Efran’s
family to save Heaven?” Lily asked, sounding sad.

“Murder, even for Heaven’s sake, can’t
absolve you. Besides, that’s not the only sin I’ve committed. I
liked the life Lucifer led. You saw my club, you remember my face
when you leaped out of my car.” Lily nodded. “It was the first time
I was ever rejected. I wasn’t as kind as I seem to be now.”

“You don’t know your own soul,” Lily replied
stiffly. “You’ve been confused all this time. You needed somebody
to show you the right way, but nobody understood you.”

“With you at my side, it's clear what I
should do,” Samael said confidently, closing his arm around her
shoulders. “I swore that I wouldn’t give you to anybody, even if
Eden itself had to fall. I will keep my word until my last
breath.”

“You’re immortal, you can’t die,” Lily
reminded him with a smile.

“You’re right. Those were a human’s words. I
should’ve said ‘till I found myself on the Island of the
Dead’.”

“God won’t let any of the archangels to stay
there long, I’m certain of it.”

“Nobody has ever returned from the island,
Lily. My brother Uriel keeps it protected. There is only one
entrance and no way out. Only he and I can move from there and
back.”

“Because you’re an angel of death?” she
asked warily.

“Yes. But once I lose a fight and somebody
sticks a sword in me, I will lose that power and will be stuck on
the Island of the Dead forever,” Samael explained in a hushed
voice.

“I won’t let that happen to you,” Lily
whispered and hugged him tightly, tears in her eyes.

Samael laughed sincerely, taking her in his
arms. He gave her a quick kiss on her forehead. “You’ll be fine,
baby,” he murmured.

* * *

Cold wind blew from the high rock toward
Samael and Lily. He peered up in hope of seeing any sign from God,
but the Creator kept silent. He was waiting. It was Samael’s turn
to make the next move. This would show whether Samael was alone in
the war or not.

* * *

What was Nancy doing right now?

Her friend had to be worried at this point,
maybe she had even called the police. But no man was able to help
Lily.

Aunt Agnes and Bill. Lily regretted the last
words she had exchanged with her aunt. Aunt Agnes had been always
kind to her, loved her as if she were her own daughter. If Lily had
known at that time what fate had prepared for her...What would she
have said instead? She would’ve told her Aunt how much she loved
her and Bill, and that she was thankful for everything they had
done for her. Lily swore if she was ever going to see them again,
she would hug her aunt and tell her everything she felt.

But she was worried. Samael had told her
that Earth was in jeopardy too. The holy war had touched even the
mortal world.

The sky above the garden got darker with
every passing hour. Soon, night would fall upon Eden. Eden’s small
army, under Samael’s command, was at the wall waiting for Lucifer,
but the endless glade in front of the gates was empty yet.
Lightening bolted across the sky, illuminating the far
distance.

Nobody was on the horizon.

Lucifer was still preparing.

AND NOW A SNEAK PEEK FROM THE SECOND BOOK IN
GODFORSAKEN SERIES, COMING IN 2015

Rays of sunlight shone brightly through the
clouds that hung in the sky. The light was impossible bright, never
dimming, and the ground and walls beneath were spun of clouds
themselves. At the heart of it all stood a golden gate – the sole
way in and out of Heaven.

From outside of the gate, only one peak
could be seen rising out of the miraculous place. Standing on the
summit was the archangel Michael, clad in his white armor. His
fingers were interlaced, his head tilted as if he was praying, but
his mouth was shut and his eyes remained closed.

Michael opened them as he sensed a movement
in the air, and looked up. An angel was flying overhead. Its wings
shining in the sunlight, almost blinding Michael.

The angel – Raphael – landed several feet
away from the archangel. He tucked his wings behind his back and
walked toward Michael.

Once he came closer, he stopped, bowed his
head and said, “my angel.”

“Raphael,” Michael greeted tonelessly.

Raphael looked up at his brother with
worried eyes, and said, “Dudael has fallen, Michael. The sinful
souls are freed. Lucifer is out of Hell – Saraqael has set us up.
He opened the gates of Hell for Lucifer.”

“So much bad news,” Michael murmured,
surprisingly unconcerned. He lowered his hands to his sides. “Where
is Gabriel?”

“In the desert, fighting off the first wave.
Lucifer isn’t there, but Gaap and a small group of followers
attempted to steal the girl.”

“Is she safe?” Michael's gaze pierced
Raphael's eyes.

“That depends what you mean safe. At least,
she’s with Samael,” Raphael said. He looked over the shining
clouds.

“Are they in Eden?” Michael asked.

“Yes. Why did you send Gabriel to kill the
girl?”

“I never gave such an order.”

“Gabriel was outraged. He was ready to
slaughter everyone in the desert.”

“You know how he regards Samael,” Michael
remarked. “Ever since Samael trapped him and forced him to kill
Mammon, he's hated Samael.”

“It’s not about those two anymore. It’s
about Heaven and Earth, Michael. He has to think wisely.”

“You tell him –”

“You’re the head archangel,” Raphael cut him
off sternly.

“I’m not God,” Michael sniffed. “I can’t
control anybody’s emotions.”

He trailed off. A gust of wind arrived to
accompany the archangels where they stood, mutely watching
Heaven.

“He proved that Saraqael is a traitor,
though,” Raphael broke the heavy silence.

“He should have,” Michael said mildly.

“Michael,” he brought his brother’s eyes at
him. “I had no choice. If I hadn't intervened, they’d have the girl
by now.” Raphael looked nervous now, his sadness clear in his eyes.
“Yes, I destroyed the walls of Dudael, yes, I let Samael escape
with Lily. If I hadn't, then our youngest brother would be resting
in the Island of the Dead and Lily would be imprisoned in Hell. And
Lucifer would’ve marched onto Heaven without anything in his
way.”

“You did the right thing, Raphael,” Michael
stepped forward and put his hand on his brother’s shoulder.

“But the prison, and Azazel–”

“The fall of the prison gives us some
credit.”

“I don’t understand.” Raphael’s mouth hung
open in shock.

“The earth is filled with the sinful people,
now. Which is impermissible. Lucifer knows that, but he can’t stop
them now. He has to slaughter all of them.”

“I get it,” Raphael tilted his head, musing.
“We can send Gabriel with his group to clean up the Earth.”

“So we’ll have some of our on the Earth. Out
in the open,” Michael said. “The Torah rules don’t stop us from
doing some cleaning. You see?” He looked away for a moment,
gathering his thoughts. “I need your spy, the one among the sinful
people.”

“Jonan?” Raphael thinned his lips. “You
didn’t want me to save him back then. You told me to let him freeze
to death in that desert.”

“It was a long time ago. Every one of us has
done things that he was sorry for later.” Michael took a deep
breath and faced Raphael with a determined air. “Make contact with
him.”

“What shall I tell him?”

“Tell him to take several men and enter the
nearest city. Let him destroy a building, a car – I don’t care.
Give me a reason to send Gabriel down to Earth.”

With a quick nod of his head, Raphael
consented. He looked at the head archangel with questioning
eyebrows.

“Did you know what would happen, when you
sent me with Samael to Dudael?” he asked.

“What? That you were going to tear up the
prison?” The serious look on Raphael's face answered ‘yes’. “It's
not that I knew, but I guessed. Samael thinks he’s cleverer than me
or Lucifer, but I exposed him. He’s predictable, although he wants
to believe that he isn't. But I’m glad his attempts are for Heaven
and against Lucifer. So I’m supporting him.”

“I wouldn’t underestimate the Angel of Death
if I were you,” Raphael added quickly.