The Rise of the Fallen (The Angelic Wars Book 2) (15 page)

“
I am Stradastiel.
It is good to have you here, my friends.” Francis, or
Stradastiel, Chris corrected himself, had a warm, welcoming tone in
his voice and Chris was immediately put at ease.

And finally, Patrick
leaned forward so that he could see around Francis and grinned
widely. He looked at Natalie, winked and then back at Chris.

“
Good to meet you
both. My name is Valagriel. I am the youngest and, so I am told by my
rather pompous friends here, the most irreverent of the Angelics.”
He laughed lightly. “They are quite correct, of course. And I
like it that way. Welcome, welcome, I say!”

Chris and Natalie both
laughed and Bellestriel sighed loudly.

“
A little decorum if
you please, brother.”

“
Oh, pish-posh on
your decorum, sister,” Valagriel replied with a snap of his
fingers. “A human's lifetime is too short to spend worried
about manners and 'decorum'.” He looked at Chris with a raised
eyebrow. “You see what I must put up with here? Thanks to our
Father that you two came along to shake them out of their stuffy
doldrums.”

Natalie and Chris
exchanged looks and he nodded at her. He had no idea what he would
say when it was his turn to bring out his angel. That angel was MIA
and besides, he wasn't sure that the judge wanted anyone else to know
about Sariel, at least not until the spy had been caught.

Chris was saved for the
moment as Natalie's expression changed to the familiar one of blank
introspection. Then she opened her eyes and looked at the other four.

“
Brothers and
sisters, thank you for your welcoming words. I am Gloriel.”

There were several gasps
and Valagriel leaned toward her. “
The
Gloriel? The
one who was betrayed by Lilith herself?”

Natalie
closed her eyes and a flash of pain crossed her face for a quick
moment. Then she nodded once and looked at them. “Yes, that
one. I...do not like to speak of those days. The death of innocents,
well, the memory wounds me each time I recall it.”

“
Yes,
of course.” Endariel said hastily. “We apologize. You are
greatly admired among us, let me assure you.” She turned to
look at Chris. “And you, brother. Why do you hesitate? Please,
make yourself known to us.”

In
the silence that followed, Chris looked helplessly at Natalie.
Gloriel returned his look gently and looked ready to speak, when she
was cut off.

“
Why
this delay...brother?” Bellestriel asked suspiciously. “Are
you playing with us? Or are you something more, or less, than you
claim?”

“
Watch
your tongue, young one,” Gloriel said coldly. Bellestriel
turned to glare at her and she returned the look with interest. “I
vouch for this one and, if you doubt me, then say so and let us see
how far you have fallen from the path.”

There
were gasps from the three other Angelics and, under Gloriel's cold
stare, Bellestriel wilted.

“
I,
I meant no disrespect, sister. Truly. But what is wrong? Why can't
this one declare himself?”

Gloriel
looked from face to face. The others didn't look suspicious, simply
bewildered. She ended up looking at Chris.

“
This
choice is yours, Christopher,” she said and spread her arms. “I
cannot choose to reveal what is not mine to reveal. Do as you see
fit.”

Chris
ran his fingers through his hair and tucked it back around his ears.
He looked out of the large window at the bright sunshine and listened
for a moment to the riot of birdsong coming from the gardens. He
finally nodded.

“
I
have to trust you all,” he said as he looked at each of them.
In the end, he focused on the still suspicious face of Bellestriel.
“I don't know if the judge will approve of me telling you, but
after losing so many of our friends back at the Nest, we have to be
here for each other. There are too few of us left.”

“
Well
said, Chris. Well said.” That was Valagriel. Bellestriel glared
at him but he just shrugged. “It was.”

“
So,
fine. Let me tell you who my angel is, and why he isn't here to speak
for himself.”

Chris
took a deep breath and then almost choked as a familiar voice rippled
across his mind.

There is no need,
Chris. I am here.

Sariel? Gees, where
have you been?

Later, my other half.
We can talk later. For now, may I speak to the others?

Chris
felt a profound sense of relief that overrode his irritation.

Yeah, go ahead. My
mouth is your mouth.

Sariel's
laugh echoed gently through Chris' mind.

“
Sisters.
Brothers. I have returned.”

Sariel's
voice rang through the room and several crystal ornaments sitting on
the mantle of the fireplace chimed and rang in the echoes. Gloriel
smiled broadly while the other four sat up, their expressions turning
to looks of wonder.

Chris
watched from within as Sariel stood up. He grew and changed, not to
his full height but just tall enough to make room for his crippled
left wing to lightly brush against the floor. Instead of armor, he
wore gray robes that matched the feathers of his wings and Chris was
sure that his own patches of white hair had been replaced with
splashes of gold.

“
I
am Sariel,” he heard that ringing voice say simply. “And
I thank you all for your welcome.”

All
four Angelics leaped to their feet. They stood looking up at him, his
head a full foot higher than theirs. And then as one, they knelt
before him, even Bellestriel.

“
No.
No, do not kneel to me, my siblings. Rise. Rise, I say!”

Reluctantly,
the four stood up but none of them would look him in the eye. Instead
they stared away respectfully and Sariel sighed with what Chris knew
was frustration.

“
I
am not our Father. I am a simple angel like the rest of you.”
As he spoke, Chris felt his body shift and return to its normal
height. The wings faded and he now looked up at most of them.

When
they realized this, everyone was quick to sit again, as if they felt
embarrassed to look down on him. Chris was secretly amused.

Sariel
sat down as well and looked at them all affectionately.

“
I
had been called away to deal with some matters back...home.”
Stradastiel actually winced and Chris wondered if Purgatory was
considered a topic that decent angels didn't discuss. He found that
idea amusing as well. Strange, but now that Sariel was back, his own
mood seemed to have improved immensely.

“
I
believe things are now settled down enough for me to return to my
place here with Chris.” He looked from face to face. “As
you can well imagine, I cannot stay manifest for long, in case our
enemies somehow learn of my presence. So if you have any questions,
please ask them now.”

The
four Angelics exchanged glances, as if waiting to see which one dared
to speak first. Not surprisingly, it was Valagriel who jumped in.

“
Sariel,
elder brother. Welcome.” He ducked his head in respect and
Sariel smiled. “We are...overwhelmed to learn that our Father
has sent an archangel to aid us in our battle against the darkness.
And for it to be you, one of the original three is, well,
astonishing. My only question is, why are you being so circumspect?
If our brothers and sisters around the world knew that you walked the
Earth, they would rally around you in an instant. We would be an
unstoppable force. We could turn back the tide of Hell before it even
gained a foothold here.” His eyes were shining with excitement.

Bellestriel
cut in before Sariel could reply.

“
You
are a fool, Valagriel. I hope that it is just your youth that makes
you so precipitous.”

She
looked at Sariel and Chris saw that she seemed on the verge of tears.

“
Forgive
me for my doubts, Sariel. Unlike our young brother, I know what would
happen if the Fallen found out about you too soon. You are still a
mortal and, as such, are vulnerable.” She turned to the others.

“
Don't
you see? All it would take would be a single gunshot, one attack, and
we would lose him. We cannot take that chance. So you,” she
pointed firmly at Valagriel, “will keep Sariel's presence in
the world to yourself, understood?”

The
youngest of the Angelics looked defiant but stared at Sariel,
waiting.

“
She
is correct, brother. It is to our advantage that our enemies not know
that I am here. They will learn of me eventually; it is inevitable.
But let us hold on to that knowledge for now, keep it close to
ourselves, and use it sparingly. At least until Chris and I find the
other pieces of the sword.”

Gloriel
had been watching quietly but at the mention of the sword, she raised
an eyebrow.

“
Are
we wise to discuss this now, my brother?” she asked dubiously.

“
Have
you no trust?” Sariel asked her gently. Chris watch Natalie's
face turn red but when she met his gaze, Gloriel nodded reluctantly.

“
Do
as you wish. My trust is with you, always.”

The
four other Angelics looked puzzled.

“
Sword?
What sword do you mean?” That was Endariel who finally spoke
up.

Chris
felt Sariel retreat within himself.

What are you doing?

I have been exposed for
too long. I do not know what sort of protections this place has to
ward against the Fallen. Please pass my words on to the others,
Chris. I feel somehow that it would be safer for now.

Chris
agreed reluctantly.

It'll slow things down,
he warned.

Are we in a hurry?
Sariel asked with amusement.

Funny guy.

This
conversation happened in seconds and so, when Chris answered in his
own voice, the others looked startled.

“
Sorry,
folks, but Sariel is worried that his presence might be...leaking
out, you could say. He wants me to tell you his thoughts.”

“
Yes,”
Gloriel said and Chris watched her face take on the familiar nuances
that signaled that Natalie was back in control.

“
Gloriel
feels the same. She feels that with the attack on the Nest, and our
confrontation during the flight over from Canada, that the Fallen are
probably hypersensitive to angelic vibes at the moment.”

The
resident Angelics seemed to come to an unspoken agreement and each
settled back into their seats and lost their serene expressions.
Patrick smiled.

“
I
think our angels prefer to let us speak for them as well, if Sariel
feels that it means so much. So I'll start. Valagriel has two
questions. What sword? And what happened on your trip from Canada?”

Chris
was distracted for a moment as he watched Alysa reach into a pocket,
pull out a package and pop a piece of gum into her mouth. He grinned
as she sighed with pleasure.

“
Honestly,
I wish that Endariel would stop taking my gum out when she shows up.
I mean, what's the problem anyway? It's only gum.”

Anabelle
rolled her eyes. “She thinks it's gross, Alysa. I can't say
that I disagree.” At her friend's frown, she added, “Well,
come on. You chew gum from morning till night. I'm surprised you have
any teeth left.”

Alysa
opened her mouth and snapped her even, white teeth in Anabelle's
direction.

“
Guys,
can we focus please?” Francis asked with a mixture of amusement
and impatience. “We're sitting in the same room as one of the
oldest beings in creation and you're arguing about gum?”

Both
of the young women suddenly looked embarrassed and stole guilty
glances at Chris, who just grinned broadly.

“
Don't
worry,” he said. “Sariel isn't as stuffy as you might
think. He is often sad, and angry too, but I always feel a deep vein
of humor when he's around.”

“
Huh,
that's interesting,” Patrick said. “You'd think someone
like that would be all serious and stuff. Nice to know he's
human...ish.”

They
all laughed at that comment and Chris felt the mood in the room shift
and lighten.

Tell them about the
sword, Chris,
Sariel said within him.
Time runs on.

“
Sariel's
getting a bit impatient,” Chris said with some humor. “So
he wants me to fill you in about his sword.”

He
was watching Patrick as he spoke and saw the other teen's eyes widen.
“Yeah, that sword. The one he used to attack, well, you know
who.”