The War in Heaven (49 page)

“Yes,” confirmed Satan. “I suspect that shall be sufficient. Once they are dispatched, I want you to put everyone else on high alert. Activate all of our reserves and bring them here. As for this city—I want to execute our perimeter plan at once.”

“The perimeter plan … here in this city, not Sarel?” confirmed the general.

“Yes, that is correct,” confirmed Satan. “I need you to do this thing now.”

The general rose from his seat. “It shall be as you command.” He departed, leaving Satan and his other four advisors at the table.

“I don’t understand, my lord,” said Governor Molock. “If the attack is in Sarel, why are we fortifying our position here?”

“Because the attack on Sarel is but a distraction from the angels’ true mission,” said Satan. “I know Michael; his real objective is Zion. I assure you he will attack here within hours. He can do nothing less. In his mind, his first priority is to liberate the holy city. I have been preparing for this.”

Metastopholies raised his eyebrows in dull surprise, but said nothing. Usually he could discern the outcome of a set of events, but not today. The currents of time were too swift and turbulent this day. He would have to hope that it cleared in the near future. Until then, he would offer no advice to the master.

Gabriel gazed upon the City of Zion from the edge of the forest; all was quiet. Could he be so fortunate? Might Satan have diverted the majority of his forces to the City of Sarel? He would soon know.

At the appointed moment millions of angels took flight, a mighty wind arose from the combined breeze of their beating wings. They set course for the city. At first, it looked like they might not be challenged. Then they saw the black hordes arise from the former Hall of Angels. Apparently, they had not caught Satan completely by surprise.

From the edge of the forest, guarding the left flank, General Washington gazed up at the magnificent sight of so many angels in flight. His troops were ready to move once the first ranks of angels reached the outer walls of the city. He turned to his troops. For the first time in his career, there were women in the ranks. Nearly 40 percent of his 30,000 troops were of the fairer gender. Many of the warriors pulled down the visors on their helmets and shielded their eyes against the dust raised by the winds sweeping in from the meadows as the angels passed overhead.

Washington looked to his right to see his commander, Cornelius, step from the shadows of the forest a mile away with his 40,000 troops. They would be on the move in another two minutes. Still, there was something missing; Washington missed his horse. He was certain that Cornelius felt the same way. Rare was the day that he had not led his troops into battle from horseback, as had Cornelius. He gazed down at the sword in his scabbard. He smiled, but slightly. He imagined that there were few humans in the ranks who still carried a sword. Yes, he had a particle rifle and a pistol, but he couldn’t imagine going into battle without his sword. In reality, he had never imagined leading troops into battle again. Today, he would face the most vile foe of his career, humankind’s worst enemy.

He watched the first wave of angels cross the wall; it was time. He motioned for his troops to advance. The forest was suddenly alight with mists and stars as the troops advanced through the ether toward the city.
Five thousand steps would be covered in about five. Washington pulled the visor down on his helmet and stepped into his own portal. The next stop was the Via de Gloria, one of the most important avenues in the city.

Washington and over 1,000 of his troops materialized in the middle of the golden street. They quickly scanned their surroundings; the street was deserted. In the skies behind them, a vast multitude of angels were swiftly advancing, while in the skies ahead, an equally formidable formation of demons was closing on them. The demons would be within range of their particle weapons within a minute. Washington and the others were preparing to find places of cover which offered a clear view of the encroaching demon forces, when the sound of multiple loud detonations erupted from a neighboring street, somewhere to the west.

Washington turned to see motion within a neighboring building. Then there was a brilliant flash, as a fireball roared from a second floor window and into the street. His troops were thrown in all directions by the blast. The realization of their situation hit him immediately. “Take cover!” he yelled.

“It’s a trap!”

From all quarters the demons emerged, thousands of them. The street was ablaze in explosive fire. Washington’s forces were caught by surprise. They returned fire, yet they were largely firing blind.

In seconds, Washington found himself face to face with a huge demon, his sword drawn. Washington’s reaction was automatic; he went for his own sword. Titanium alloy met angelic metal with a resounding clash and showering sparks. The demon seemed surprised to find himself crossing blades with a human. They maneuvered for position. The demon went for the kill with a quick thrust to the heart only to have his blade deflected by Washington’s swift sword.

It became obvious that this human would not be a quick kill. Yet the battle between them lasted for another few seconds before Washington’s demonic adversary was blasted into a cloud of vapors by a particle beam at
point blank range. Were it not for Washington’s helmet and heat resistant uniform, he would surely have been seriously injured.

Washington stumbled toward a shop at the edge of the street. He prayed that he would encounter no more unpleasant surprises along the way. A particle beam emerging from a window of the shop told him that he was making for friendly territory. Within, he found three soldiers who had dug in for the firefight.

Another round of fireballs rendered portions of the street itself into a semi-liquid state. The screams of his own men and the blazing inferno radiating from beyond the temporary safety of the shop told him that this skirmish was lost.

“There is a back door that leads into an alleyway,” said a fourth soldier, entering the room from the rear. “It looks clear.” The soldier spotted Washington, saw his rank insignia. “Sir, we’ve gotta withdraw.”

“You’re sure it’s clear?” asked Washington.

“Far as I can see, sir.”

“Then we’d best retreat,” said Washington. “Never have I taken such a licking in a battle so quickly. They knew we were coming. Perhaps some of the other companies have faired better.” He went for his radio. It was full of frantic reports and crosstalk. It sounded like everyone was in a fix. He ordered a retreat to anyone who could hear him. He didn’t want his troops to gate back to the woods and leave the angels on their own. That would be a last resort. They were to fall back to the Manasseh Gate. They would try to make a stand there.

Seventeen blocks away, Cornelius heard Washington’s order to fall back. His troops were taking a pounding too, but they had managed to dig in and hold amid the ruins of a deserted marketplace. He wasn’t prepared to sound the retreat—not just yet. He knew that they were tying down demonic forces that would otherwise be free to attack the angels who were even now
passing overhead. Some of those angels were breaking off, joining the fight in the streets, reinforcing his position. No, he would have to hold out.

The second wave of Michael’s angels had crossed the walls of Zion when no less than four legions of demons swept in behind them, emerging from their hiding places within the buildings. An aerial battle of enormous proportions ensued as the swords of millions of angels and demons clashed.

Farther to the west, a great barrage of fireballs erupted into the air scattering and burning the third wave of angels as they crossed the wall. An orderly advance was turning into a fierce and chaotic battle that ranged from the ground to an altitude of several thousand feet.

A steady stream of angels continued to enter the battle from the north and northeast as the demons reinforced their ranks from the south and west. Neither side was willing to budge an inch, so the battle continued to escalate.

At the Holy Place, millions of demons streamed in, surrounding the saints. The saints could not be allowed to enter the war on the side of the angels. The saints would be secure, so long as they didn’t step beyond the bounds of this greatest of all temples. This fact was made abundantly clear to them; step beyond the bounds of the Holy Place, and face dire consequences.

There were those within the Holy Place, those enlisted by David and the others, who were more than ready for a fight. Armed with their newly made particle rifles, they were ready to face the most deadly enemy of humankind. Not the least of these was Thecla, a follower of the Apostle Paul. An inspiring orator, she was more than willing to step boldly from the Holy Place and stand toe to toe with their foes.

“I will face them with a weapon in my hand or armed only with the power of the Holy Spirit,” she cried. “No demon from Hell will be able to stand before us. After all, if God is for us, who can be against us?”

She had more than 1,000 followers, mostly women, willing to follow her into harm’s way, assured that they would be safe. Yet Peter and the elders urged Thecla and her followers to quiet the angry spirit within them; their time was not yet. Still, unrest among God’s people was mounting. They could hear the battle raging and see the flashes of weapons fire in the north. Passions stood near the boiling point.

God’s word to His people was the same—they could enter the war if they wished, but for the moment, He would not interfere. Up until now, many of the saints felt that statement had implied that participation in the war placed them both out of God’s protection and His will. But now they weren’t so sure. One thing was certain—they would not accept Satan as the ultimate leader of the angels. If push came to shove, they would fight him.

It was the wee hours of the morning when Elizabeth awoke to hear someone calling her name. She found her modest forest home filled with glowing fragrant mists. There was someone standing there, a slightly glowing figure near the door. Perhaps she should have been afraid, but she wasn’t. She boldly rose from her bed and walked directly toward the figure.

She was halfway across the room when she was finally able to discern his features—it was Jesus. A smile appeared on her face, one to match His. “Lord, it does my heart good to see You.”

“Peace unto you, Elizabeth,” said Jesus. “I have come to ask you why you have been hiding from our Father.”

Elizabeth was confused. “But Lord, I haven’t been hiding from the Father, I’ve been right here.”

“Don’t you see, the others need you?” continued Jesus. “In Zion, at the Holy Place, the saints need a leader. You are that leader. You hold the key to victory in your hand, yet you have stayed away.”

“But Satan and his demons control the city,” objected Elizabeth. “Does he?” asked Jesus.

Elizabeth was silent. She truly didn’t know what to say.

“Go to Zion, daughter of God, you will know what to do.”

Jesus faded away with the mists. Elizabeth awoke from her sleep. She looked around; it was dark and quiet. Only the light of the fireflies illuminated the forests beyond her open window. It had been a dream. What was she to do? She didn’t have to ask that question, she knew. She lit the oil lamp and went to fetch her best white robes. She was going to the City of Zion.