War of Wings (22 page)

“No! Arrayah!” She was dragged in a southwesterly direction so quickly that a blue flame flared in her wake. He ran toward her, but she was now out of sight. She was gone. His knees buckled, and he landed on the ground at the spot where she had stood just a moment ago.

He buried his head in his hands and started to cry. He could almost hear his own heart break like her shattered bones. Gabriel grabbed his chest plate like he was holding on for dear life. It felt like it was crushing him again.

One third of the angels of Heaven suffered the same fate as Arrayah. They were gone, all of them, in an instant. They had been sucked down the cliff of the Marble Falls together at an incredible speed. Those left behind saw sparks erupt into large balls of fire as the banished descended. Within seconds, they were all gone, and Heaven was once again filled only with true followers of God.

Gabriel’s body went limp. He simply had no more strength. Then he heard God’s resounding voice again in his head.

“You are strong, Gabriel. I love you, my son. There is one left among you who will suffer a different fate. Go find Azrael.”

Gabriel stood up with a newfound strength. He started walking without hesitation, and he knew inside which way to go. As he went, God’s voice continued in his head. God gave him specific instructions for confronting Azrael, whose fate would be different than the rest of the fallen. God had a plan for him. He would become the angel of death.

There was an energy like no other that drew Gabriel in. It was Azrael who was still on the field and down on his knees. On the ground, the dark archangel looked confused. Gabriel stopped right next to him.

“Azrael, stand up.”

Azrael slowly turned his head to Gabriel. “What do you want?”

Nearby angels were staring and pointing, shocked that Azrael was still in Heaven.

“You will not be cast down with the others,” said Gabriel. “You will suffer a different fate. You discovered what will be called murder and brought about death to an angel. Your envious heart caused you to perform an unspeakable act. You intentionally severed the life source of Raphael, knowing full well what would happen.”

Azrael looked at him with disgust. “What do you know about it? Nothing!” he shouted. “Leave me alone!”

Just then the blood-soaked fields turned greener, the blood faded away, and the severed wings of the lifeless bodies moved on their own to their rightful owners. The wings reattached, and each one of the dead calmly opened his or her eyes. Wounds healed, skin brightened, and all of them woke up as if they had simply been dreaming. Gabriel looked back to Azrael, who wore a horrified expression that all the carnage had been undone.

“For your act, you will become the angel of death. God has already restored life into Raphael as you can see, and you will be the only one to bear the burden of this unspeakable act. God will not allow one of His angels to be destroyed under His protection in Heaven again. You will scour the universe for eternity bringing one thing to other beings: death. It has been ordained by God, and I am merely the messenger.” Gabriel turned to walk away with a heavy heart.

“Wait,” said Azrael, but Gabriel kept walking. “What beings? No! Lucifer showed me how. It was Lucifer’s fault! He has been murdering animals and knew what I would do. He tricked me!”

In an instant, Azrael was sucked out of Heaven with a blue flame in the same manner as the fallen, but he was sent in a different direction. He was sent to the northeast, down the Granite Falls, into a place in the cosmos millions of miles from Terra where he would be alone for eternity without an entrance to Heaven. God had ordained it. He was to search for life throughout the millions of planets and stars by himself, bringing nothing but death.

Gabriel eventually stopped walking and just sat on the ground with a blank stare, trying to think of something he could do. Michael walked over and sat beside him, but for once, he had nothing to say. After a few minutes, Merithah approached with compassionate eyes. “Gabriel, are you all right?”

“Yes, I’m fine,” Gabriel answered, staring straight ahead.

“I miss her too. It’s fine to be upset,” she said.

He stood up. Michael stood up too, but Gabriel didn’t look at him.

“Where are you going?” Merithah asked.

“To get Arrayah.” He started walking, and Michael fell in step beside him.

“You can’t,” she said.

“Gabriel, stop,” Michael said. He put a hand on Gabriel’s shoulder, but he shrugged it off and jumped up, wings unfurling. “Gabriel!”

He flew toward the Marble Falls, and Michael took off after him. Merithah flew after them both.

“Gabriel!” shouted Michael.

“Stay back!”

“Gabriel, stop!”

He didn’t respond. Michael was faster in the air than Gabriel, so he caught up to him in the Field of Tranquility. It was still black when they got there from Lucifer and all of his dark angels who had just been ripped across it. They had never seen it black before. It was now turning blue-green as Gabriel crossed it and then finally back to its typical brilliant blue as the other two godly angels passed over.

Michael hugged Gabriel from the back and steered him down to the ground. They cut through the blue wheat like a sickle, sending blue spores into the air and then a spray of dirt. Michael held onto Gabriel as Merithah flew over to them.

“Get off me!” He struggled to free himself.

“You have to let her go,” Michael said. He fought to keep Gabriel down. They were covered in dirt and wheat from the tumble.

“No!” Gabriel heaved himself up and shoved Michael off. Michael grabbed his leg before he could fly away and pulled him back down to the ground. He took hold of Gabriel’s wrists and twisted them crossed over his chest, and then he leaned over his friend to hold him down.

“There’s nothing you can do to save her!” yelled Michael. In a softer voice, he said, “I’m sorry, my brother. But there really is nothing you can do.” Gabriel finally stopped struggling. After a moment, Michael let go of him.

Gabriel took a deep breath and rolled over on the ground. He and Michael just lay there, staring up at the sky and not moving.

“She can’t be saved now,” said Michael with labored breaths.

Gabriel watched the dancing blue stalks of wheat around them. It was like they had never been black. “I know,” he said. After a long pause, Gabriel added softly, “Not yet.”

Michael turned his head in Gabriel’s direction but stayed silent. He was at a loss for words again, and Gabriel knew why. Michael couldn’t understand. He was restricted by rules and laws but not Gabriel. There would always be hope.

“Gabriel, trust in God. That’s all you can do,” said Merithah. He wondered how long she had been standing there just behind them. She sat lightly on her knees beside him and brushed his hair back from his dirty face.

“I will, Merithah.” He closed his eyes and felt a tear roll down his cheek.

Merithah wiped Gabriel’s tear and lay down directly beside him and Michael. Her soft touch was comforting. She stretched out on her back and stared up.

The three of them lay there in silence for a long time, and it was quite peaceful after the havoc of the last hours. Gabriel suddenly noticed a feather float by on a breeze. It was pure white, long, and thin, with the distinct shape of virtue feathers—like the tip of a spear. Behind it was the most brilliant blue sky he had ever seen in Heaven. It made him think of all that was lost and all that was gained on this terrible, beautiful day.
What do we do now?

L
ucifer felt his bones strained to the breaking point, but he didn’t resist. He was consumed with a blue flame that was not quenched as he passed through the water beneath the Marble Falls. He was drawn from there into the cosmos. He had lost all control of his body, and now he was going to collide with his lonely planet, Terra. Behind him, an endless onslaught of pulsing lights blazed through the cosmos, each angel an individual inferno.

The balls of blazing fire ripped through space at incredible speeds, headed straight for the silent planet. Lucifer entered the atmosphere first, flashing his way down and into the rocky terrain; his collision shook the planet like an earthquake, and Lucifer’s entire body felt broken from the impact. Dust and debris blanketed the sky. The lavish green grass that covered this part of the planet was seared for miles around the large crater created by his impact.

To his surprise, he found that as he settled in the crater he had only a few broken bones and he was still brilliant white without even a single burned feather. Heavy, grey smoke rose from him as he started to cool like a stomped-out fire. The thick smoke enveloped and overtook the dust. He stretched his large, powerful wings as he did after a long sleep, and the soreness was severe.

Before his wings could fully separate, he reached up with a glowing hand and noticed his abnormally long, wiry fingers. As he reached out and up for the crater’s ledge, the ground shook nearby when a second blue fireball crashed down. Lucifer began to pull himself up as the deafening sounds of more powerful impacts echoed across the landscape. Each angel landed with an earth-shattering crash. They seemed endless, and the planet sustained permanent damage to its surface from the massive wounds they were inflicting. The collisions seemed to go on and on until Lucifer began to wonder just how many of his followers had remained defiant.

There were so many slamming into the ground that the sounds became muddled into one long, thunderous blow. Finally they started to slow until the last one had completed his damaging plummet into the planet’s surface. Eventually an uneasy silence settled in. Nothing could be seen through the smoke, rock, and dust clouds, but the groans and clanking of armor could be heard unceasingly as Lucifer brought himself up from his newly formed crater.

He was proud not to be alone. The craters were countless, and the angels all worked their way up slowly from the depth of the craters to the damaged surface. Lucifer climbed to his feet, which had also changed. He could feel that they were slimmer underneath his ornate armor, more wiry like his hands. The armor covered all but the long toes and thick steam rose from it. The plates covering his feet were gleaming brightly, and the pliable steel seemed to be white hot.

The white canvas of metal that engulfed him was threaded with brilliant designs of intense golden highlights that sparkled against the beautiful metal, but as his armor began to cool quickly, he noticed something odd. It completely defied his understanding. The steam grew thicker and the luminescent finish started to dim. As he moved his foot forward, the armor made clacking sounds, and it became still cooler and turned to grey. The ornate gold charred and curled up like burning paper—starting from above his toe and moving up his foot and around his ankle.

The same was happening on the other foot, and his soft toes began to lose their pink hue and take on a chalky gray color. His silky skin dried up, becoming pale and ashen. As he reached a steady walk, his gray skin darkened to deep charcoal all over. It felt like the liquids in his body had dried up and half his mass was gone. He felt shrunken, twisted, and bone dry. Around him, the ground shook violently, and lava erupted from volcanoes and spilled down them to the ground. The planet was responding to its new inhabitants’ unwelcome and destructive entrance.

Just behind him, an angel as gloriously bright as the heavens crawled up from a hole in the ground and spread her wings. He recognized Arrayah, but she was too bright for his eyes to take in. A small glimpse of her former glory was captivating even as her brilliant luster began to fade. Her beautiful, feminine face was perfectly smooth and fair as if silky cream had been perfectly poured into the shape of a face. Why was he noticing these things? Her lips were a subtle pink with a heart-shaped top that was hardly noticeable once she opened her hypnotic blue eyes. They were like crystal-clear waters inviting him to dive in. What was happening to him? All of a sudden, he felt an agonizing burning all over. The pain consumed him as he felt every inch of his body burn. He clenched his excruciating muscles and soaked in the punishment. He knew God was doing this to him, and he would not falter. Instead, he stared into Arrayah’s eyes.

While her beauty was more undeniable to him than ever, so was the look in her eyes. They quivered as they blinked and welled up with tears. She looked haunted and deeply broken. It wasn’t horror from watching him burn; it was pain. The emotional wound written on her face was without question. She felt a tormenting loss. As she stared ahead and the first tear fell, the blackness of her pupils grew and transformed the whites of her eyes as if ink had been splashed over them. Imperfections spread like wildfire across her glorious face. It was like watching a masterpiece slowly being overtaken by flames. Her enchanting body darkened all over.

Her soft skin began to turn ashen while her white feathers caught fire and burned from the tip to the root, beginning where the wings met on her back. The flames crept around the thick base of her wings twice as quickly, and the soft feathers burned even faster there. As the flames lit her wings, she turned with shock. She had no idea what was happening to her but quickly realized it was the same fate she had just seen Lucifer endure. The flames burned out to reveal the grotesque skeleton of her once-brilliant wings. She moaned and wept while her skin finished its grueling transformation. The silver necklace that read
Humilitas
broke away and dropped to the ground, shining in the dirt. Her wings were charred and smoking as she fell to her knees, head down on the ground. She sobbed uncontrollably. With trembling hands, she grasped what was left of her necklace, and Lucifer knew where her heart belonged.

Before a backdrop of smoke, ash, and lava, hundreds of thousands of figures crawled out of the craters. Just behind Arrayah was an enormous, ominous angel with six wings. It was Abbeus. He too looked more brilliant than ever. Before he could stretch them, his six wings caught fire. He jerked his head around to see what was happening and caught eyes with Lucifer. His face became hardened, and he no longer moved. Lucifer hadn’t uttered one sound. He held onto the pain and realized its power, and he was proud of Abbeus for doing the same.

Out of respect, the six-winged angel stood tall and tried to hold in the groans as best he could as he stared at his leader. The flames engulfing his wings were even more vicious and relentless from the force of six burning wings. The creature closed his eyes and gritted his teeth as the fire consumed his feathers and moved on to his body and skin. He continued to stand tall although it looked like his knees were going to buckle. He knew Lucifer was watching. Lucifer was impressed.

Each and every one of these beautiful angels went through the process of losing his or her magnificence. They were fallen now. Wailing and groans filled the crater-pocked landscape, both from physical agony and the morbid terror of realizing what they had become in their separation from God. Lucifer, though, bathed in the power of it.

The number of dark creatures seemed endless, and the farther away they were, the more they seemed to race each other to catch up to Lucifer, the one who had landed first. They varied in size and form, and they scurried around him like his children. Perhaps they were now. The air grew colder, and darkness took over the dust and debris. Hours went by as Lucifer walked and the others followed. Some stopped along the way and fell to their knees sobbing, but they quickly jumped up and scrambled forward to follow again as if they were scared to leave the newly formed pack. A thick, heavy rain began to fall. It happened quickly, like Heaven suddenly started crying. He loved it, and his bitter hatred fueled even more pride in him. This would not stop him. Nothing would ever stop him.

The ground became soaked with rain and dusted with ash. Travel became harder, yet still not a word had been spoken by Lucifer. He looked down into a puddle and caught his own reflection lit by a blaze of lightning overhead. Deep thunder echoed around them. He knelt down to catch a closer look, and as he saw what was reflected in the water, he punched the image in a sudden fury. His face and skin had grayed to a pasty leather, and his hair had burned and curled up around his head. His famously beautiful eyes, always changing color, were now fixed permanently black. The air was rancid with the stench of rotting bodies and burning hair. He turned from the puddle in disgust.
God, do you think this is the end? It has only just begun.
The temperature dropped so rapidly that their breath began to steam out in clouds despite the driving rain. Thick pieces of ice began to fall from the Heavens and break themselves all over the fallen angels.

Lucifer had the largest and blackest wings of them all, like the unsearchable dark of a bottomless abyss. They had grown, and he could see them easily himself. The others’ wings were a deep charcoal color while his were a sinister tar. Now featherless, they had twice the span of some of the smaller angels struggling behind him. Although the others were engaged in different degrees of wailing, he was the only one who never emitted a sound. Not even a grimace. He stood tall and walked with purpose. He felt proud. He would be a leader, and these newly formed dark creatures would follow him like one.

As Lucifer marched north, he started to hear angels talking behind him about God and being cast out of Heaven. He heard one say, “God is punishing us. Maybe we were wrong to oppose Him.”

Lucifer whipped around and soared in the air above his dejected followers, flapping his massive wings to hover. From the looks on their deformed faces, many were horrified at his transformation. “We no longer serve anyone!” he declared at the top of his voice. His beauty might be gone, but his intelligence and passion were not. “I heard many of you weeping and some questioning what is going to happen. Make sure that is the last time I hear any of that! We have work to do, and those of you who rise to the challenge will be greatly rewarded with power and possession. Rankings will be earned here based on performance and who wants it the most!”

The fallen angels were still in shock. Some shouted cheers. Others remained silent. One loud voice cried out above the others. “I miss God! I shouldn’t have been cast down! This was a mistake. A horrible mistake. Please help me! I want to go back to Heaven!”

Lucifer didn’t even recognize him. It didn’t matter. “Shut up now!” Lucifer snarled, and with a growl he flew down to the dark angel and hovered over him. The angel cowered, like prey.

“I don’t deserve this! I need God!”

Lucifer began to fume. “Don’t mention His name one more time, pathetic angel!”

“What has happened to me?” the angel wailed. He sunk to his knees and rocked back and forth. “Why would God do this to me?”

Lucifer dropped like a stone and trampled the dark angel into the dirt. He grabbed him by the throat and beat him with heavy blows. The angel tried to curl up, but Lucifer crushed him into the ground repeatedly. He would make an example of this angel. With black nails and the jagged edges of his wings, he scraped and pierced the angel’s flesh. Then he ripped the creature’s charred wings off and broke the bases of them over his knee. He turned to the crowd of angels who were watching and cast the pieces at them. Many had turned their faces away. Lucifer left the remains of the angel there, mangled and motionless.

Lucifer flew up to address his minions. They looked terrified. “Let that be a lesson! Never mention His name again, and never show me a pitiful display of weakness! You are no longer weak, subservient angels. You are my strong, merciless army, and each of you will be stronger from the lessons I teach! Now, does anyone else have something to say?”

Silence blanketed Terra. The angels stared back at him in wide-eyed disbelief. He noticed the creature that was once Arrayah in the crowd. She was upset but trying not to show it. In another time and place, Lucifer would have gone and comforted her, but now he did not. Perhaps that was the best kindness he could muster now, to ignore her weakness instead of making an example of it. Painfully, she stood up and collected herself. He knew she was strong. He would give her time, but he would show no mercy to others.

He saw potential in his new domain. He would be a ruthless leader here, and his convictions would quickly overcome any regrets he had. There was no time to feel sorry for what he lost from God; instead, he must focus on building his new empire. He had a plan, and while he felt pain and regret, he saw it as weakness to be buried deep in the depths of his soul. He would never allow any other angel to see weakness in him. He had what he wanted now, and his dark army looked to him for everything they needed. Some of his angels loved him and some didn’t, but all would worship him as their new god. They had no choice.