The circle where they stood was connected at its rim to a massive rectangular platform. The floor itself seemed to generate light but bore a faint gold color instead of the white gleam of the circle. The circle rested slightly higher than the larger area, just a step above. Judging from the size of the dome above, the rest of the floor was undoubtedly much larger but not illuminated. The head of the rectangular platform seemed to be at the far end of the massive room. Both Adam and Seth suspected this room could not be under the stronghold itself, it was too large.
This was a throne room.
A throne room in another realm. Eleven thrones were arranged at the end of the platform. On an elevated dais, one throne stood higher and more significant than the others and was the only throne that directly faced the circular platform across the throne room. Five thrones were arranged at a right angle to the central throne, each facing another row of five thrones. The throne to the immediate right of the central chair was slightly more substantial and more ornate than the remaining nine.
“Watchers!” Adam called out, his voice echoing through the mystical hall. “God Damn you - Damn you all for your wickedness!”
Eleven mysterious faces leered back at Adam and Seth. Both men now stood in the center of the circular platform. The angelic beings seemed at least twice their height, except for the central Watcher, the Prince, who appeared to be three times their height. Their thrones were massive and dark, gleaming like polished obsidian.
Instinctively, Adam and Seth knew any attempt to escape through the doorway behind them was impossible. Not unlike chancing upon a predator in a forest, turning away in fear from these beings would invite instant destruction. As Seth set his face towards the Watchers, Adam advanced to stand beside his son.
Seth had never felt the presence of such overpowering evil. While he was not afraid, he found it hard to move without great effort. Though he could not understand their words, he could discern their sneering and laughter. The sound of their language was, at times, changing pitch and pace in unbelievably rapid cycles. They seemed to emanate sounds, not just produce them by mouth.
The ten had physical forms which seemed to cycle every few seconds; a human shape yet dark and utterly devoid of light, and then a human outline wholly formed of glowing light. Neither form displayed features of any kind, only darkness or light. None had wings. Sometimes they looked like men, beautifully molded and handsome men, clothed in white or black garments. Beautiful except for their eyes, their dark orbs were devoid of any warmth or kindness. They did not leave their thrones, content to stare at Adam and Seth as they conversed and laughed amongst themselves in their strange tongue.
The central Watcher, the Prince of the Twelfth Throne, was dominant and unquestionably more powerful than his subordinates. Both Seth and Adam found it challenging to look at him for more than a few seconds. He assumed the form of a giant man with a powerful physique, and unlike his fellows, wore only waist coverings, leaving his muscular chest exposed. The Prince stared at Adam and Seth through black, soul-less eyes. While he did not cycle between light and dark forms, he alternated between the head of a bull, an eagle, a goat, or a man. Like his companions, his human face was handsome beyond description, but the condescension and arrogance that oozed from him caused Seth a sense of disgust without measure. Lastly, the Prince was angry, undeniably angry.
“Watchers!” Adam roared, angry at their shadowy talk and palpable condescension. “You who would be gods! Look at my face and remember how far you have fallen!”
The angelic conversation ceased. All eyes were fixed on Adam.
Seth was enraged. The condescension of the Watchers was palpable. Adam’s son marveled at the audacity of these mighty beings who had known the One God intimately and yet chose to disobey Him. God had created earth as the home of mankind, these rebels wanted it for themselves no matter the cost. No evil was beyond the Watchers, in their arrogance, humanity was mere livestock to be abused or consumed. Finally, Seth was furious that they had forced him to learn to kill, even to defend his people.
As Adam’s faithful son stood defiantly before beings far more powerful than himself, Seth remembered the very first time he faced a Fallen. And like that fateful moment four hundred and eighty seasons past, Seth again realized that he was not afraid.
Seth walked a few steps forward in the circle. Adam’s son picked up the head of the Fallen he had killed moments before. Grasping the head by its golden-white hair, Seth flung the head across the room. It landed with a dull thud and rolled between the ten thrones, stopping at the edge of the platform that the Prince’s throne was upon. It left a trail of black, bloody spots behind it.
“We don’t fear you!” Seth cried out. “Dark Prince - your sons lay dead outside your stronghold!”
Ten of the Watchers stood up from their thrones, their forms still cycling between humanoid forms, brilliant light, and utter darkness. Wings appeared behind some of the ten as slowly the Watchers spread out and began floating or walking across the throne room towards them.
“The Seed of the Woman will crush the head of the Serpent!” Seth declared with a sword in his left hand and war club in his right. “The One God has spoken. Go ahead, kill our bodies – it changes nothing. Your judgment still awaits you!”
The Prince left his throne.
Now bearing the head of a bull, the frightful form began walking across the rectangular platform towards them. His slow, ponderous step echoing throughout the chamber. Dark eyes gleaming with anger, the Fallen Prince snorted and shook his horns from side to side.
“The bloodshed you have caused cries out for judgment! Creation itself testifies against you,” Adam shouted defiantly. “God damn evil! Lord rebuke you Watchers!”
Halfway across the platform, the Prince stopped abruptly when Adam spoke.
Seth and Adam began praying the war prayer of their people. Any hope of retreat was impossible. And while facing the Watchers, they both knew they stood little chance of survival; there was no way out. This conflict was too personal, their daughters and their city had been threatened by this cabal. If they fell today, they would go down together, and they would go down defiant.
Adam took a final glance at Seth, father and son stood shoulder to shoulder yet again, knowing if their lives ended here at least their people were ready for war. The remaining patriarchs were prepared to defend Har Shalem and lead their people.
As they prayed, Seth knew they had no chance to prevail. Either God delivered them, or it was their day to pass on to the next life.
“Mighty angels go before us!
Contend with those we cannot see!”
The irony of the last sentence was not lost on Seth.
And those we can...
Chapter Thirty-Four
Batraal’s Judgment
Adam’s words had halted the advance of the Watchers. Seth’s eyes scanned across the throne room.
It’s cold here...
Seth fought the urge to shiver as he waited for the Watchers’ inevitable attack. Mere seconds passed...
Something has changed...
Seth noticed the level of light in the room was increasing. He realized his skin was not cold. The countenance of the Watchers also began to change, arrogance was replaced with blank expressions. The ten Watchers slowly started moving back towards their thrones.
“Peace to Adam and to his appointed,” spoke a voice behind Adam and Seth.
As they turned, a man in gleaming white garments, lightly armored in gray metal, smiled at them warmly. The angel joined Adam and Seth at the center of the circle. The stone door frame had evidently been destroyed, and ten angelic soldiers were marching past them in military precision, lining up at the base of the rectangular platform.
“Gabriel,” Adam exclaimed, smiling. “My old friend, I prayed you would come.”
“Your faith and defiance have opened a wa
y for us,” Gabriel replied, speaking to both Adam and Seth. “Greetings, First Man, and my dear friend!”
To Seth’s surprise, Adam and Gabriel embraced warmly, both clearly happy to see each other. They each clapped each other on the back, laughing as they did.
“It’s been a century, probably two,” Adam stated as they released their embrace.
“It seems as though it has been a few days, perhaps weeks at most,” Gabriel countered, looking perplexed.
Gabriel exuded calm and peace. Standing next to him, Seth felt that the atmosphere had changed. Moments before, Seth was angry and defiant, ready to fight and die. Now he felt calm, warm, and confident, even joyful. The angel had attractive features, though not as beautiful as some angels in appearance, and he absolutely radiated sincerity. Seth felt as if anything Gabriel said could be trusted entirely. Curiously, Gabriel bore no weapon, and Seth could not help but notice the angel bore a scar on his forearm and his neck.
The ten angels, however, were fully armed and ready for conflict. They wore armor, not unlike Seth’s own; chest armor, helmets, shields, bracers reinforced their forearms, and were armored knee to foot. Some bore weapons Seth recognized, spears, and swords, yet two among them were equipped with what appeared to be great leather pouches at their sides and wore curiously woven gloves. Two soldiers carried lengths of silver chain. All wore white tunics beneath their dark gray armor. Some angels had wings, but not all did.
“Adam, Son of God. Seth, son of Adam,” Gabriel spoke. “Stay close to me. Rest your weapons, we will take the field now.”
As Gabriel spoke, he compelled Adam and Seth’s complete attention. The angel seemed to shelter the men in his supernatural presence, and Seth’s thoughts were now entirely clear and rational. Before Gabriel’s arrival, the atmosphere of the Watcher’s throne room toyed with his mind and senses. As powerful as this divine being was, Seth was confident Gabriel was entirely without guile or arrogance. This feeling stood in stark contrast to the reaction within his soul when he first viewed Dark Prince and his court. Seth sheathed his blade and returned his war club to his shoulder.
“Highly favored by God – you have been asked to witness the first fruit of God’s judgment against the Watchers,” Gabriel stated. “In days to come, Enoch will also be asked to intervene in the affairs of the Watchers. You are his witnesses to these events.”
Ten angelic warriors had moved past the disc and lined up on the large rectangular platform. Five angels advanced to the left, five to the right, leaving an open space between them. The Watchers were lined up near their thrones. The Dark Prince was silent and unmoving, exuding anger. Some Watchers looked angry, while others seemed afraid.
Two more angels appeared and walked across the disc to join the armed group. Both stopped, bowed in deference to Adam and Seth, and then resumed their brisk walk to the platform. Seth watched in stunned silence. The first to approach was the warrior-angel Seth had seen beckon to him from the city walls. The same angel who later destroyed the gate to the stronghold.
The second angel, also clad in full battle armor, needed no introduction.
“Michael is here...” Adam whispered with awe.
Seth knew instantly who the second angel was even without Adam’s words. The Captain of the Host was taller than the rest of his companions, and he unquestionably radiated power and authority. Michael had handsome features and dark shoulder-length hair. His armor was extraordinary, but functional not ornamental, and bore the same muted, dark gray color as the other angels. Yet unlike his fellows, Michael ’s armor was trimmed with the faintest outlines of silver and gold. When Michael stepped on the platform, the Watchers, without exception, seemed to diminish in size. Both Adam and Seth were speechless as Michael’s presence instantly changed the perception of power in the room. Even the Dark Prince looked smaller than before.
“Raguel is Michael’s enforcer,” Gabriel informed Adam and Seth. Both men were curious about Michael’s companion and his unique place among the soldiers. Gabriel seemed adept at anticipating questions.
Michael and Raguel walked between the two rows of their soldiers and marched towards the middle of the large rectangular platform. The Dark Prince and the Watcher, who sat at his right hand, immediately charged their heavenly opponents.
The remaining angels and Watchers kept their places, leaving Seth curious about what rules of combat governed angelic battles. Duels between champions were common among men, apparently among angels as well.
Raguel and his opponent were the first to clash. They outpaced their leaders, closed together, and began a savage contest, each armed with a sword and shield. Their skills seemed evenly matched at first, trading tremendous blows back and forth. The impact of their weapons echoed like thunder in the cavernous hall, and occasionally a flash like lightning could be seen when their swords met. Shock waves of intense energy were released when their swords or shields clashed together.
The Prince charged forward towards Michael, shaking in rage. Gaze and pace steady, Michael met the Watcher in the center of the platform. God’s most commanding Cherub carried no weapons. When the bull-headed Watcher and Michael met, there was no thunder or lightning. Michael reached out suddenly with his right arm, instantly ceasing all of the Watcher’s forward motion. Then the Captain of the Host effortlessly gripped the Watcher by the throat and lifted him off his feet.
Seth marveled at the contact between the two princes. There was no contest, Michael had contained his opponent without effort.
He carries no weapon. He is a living weapon!
Both Adam and Seth observed the distortion of size and dimension in the Watcher’s throne room. When they first saw the Dark Prince, he seemed at least three times their height. When Michael passed them, he appeared to be approximately their height. Now Michael seemed to have enlarged, and the Prince had diminished in size.
Michael held the Watcher aloft in his right hand. The Watcher’s appearance cycled between the heads of animals as he struggled against Michael’s mighty grip. Eventually, the head of a man remained, and the struggling ceased. Michael himself paid no attention to the dangling Prince in his own hand, he was observing the battle between the angelic enforcer and the Watchers dark champion.
Raguel and his opponent’s movements had gradually increased in speed to the extent that Seth could no longer observe the individual strokes. Seth, a student of combat, was utterly fascinated by the contest. Now the angels were a blur of light and motion, occasionally a crack of energy was heard. Otherwise, nothing could be discerned within the encounter.
Suddenly, the motion ceased. The two champions could be seen again; Raguel had run his opponent through. Then Seth instinctively recognized the sudden wrenching pull of Raguel’s weapon arm that accelerated the death of an impaled opponent. Seth had performed the savage but merciful death-stroke of a weapon countless times himself. Raguel left his sword in the Watcher’s body as it slumped to the ground. Somehow the Fallen still retained some consciousness. Raguel turned to one of the waiting soldiers who immediately tossed a length of silver chain to him. The enforcer bound his opponent with chains and produced a silver lock from his belt. Upon locking the chains, Raguel stepped away from the defeated Watcher.
Raguel rejoined Michael. As he walked, Seth observed his cuts and wounds, Raguel’s lifeblood was a strange color that seemed both red and gold. The enforcer’s armor bore dents and gashes as well. Nevertheless, when he caught Seth’s eyes, he nodded and seemed to smile slightly in return.
“Had Raguel lost, we would have yielded the ground,” Gabriel informed Adam and Seth. “Until another day, at least.”
The Dark Prince hung limply in Michael’s grasp.
Raguel assumed a position next to Michael and faced the remaining nine Watchers.
“Batraal,” Michael declared, now looking at the Watcher in his right hand. “Your throne is false and has been denied!”
Michael radiated with power as he spoke; light and energy seemed to emit from him. With a sudden heave, Michael threw Batraal across the platform towards the dais. Adam and Seth watched in amazement as the Watcher’s man-shaped form hurtled through the air and crashed into his great obsidian throne, which collapsed beneath him.
“Watchers!” Michael declared. “Iniquity has given place to sin, and to sin, corruption and misery. Ask not for mercy – the Throne has denied it.”
Even shielded by the comforting presence of Gabriel, Adam and Seth felt weak in their bodies as the Archangel voiced the Throne’s judgment against his rebellious kindred. Michael’s words were powerful and precise, and the Watchers gave no audible response to them. Divine power and authority emanated from Michael in growing but perceptible waves. Adam reasoned they would be overcome were it not for Gabriel and the protective atmosphere he generated.
“Your crimes are many!” Michael heralded forcefully. “You have left your heavenly assignment and abused those you were commanded to serve. You have seduced and corrupted humanity. You have sinned against angels and womanhood. You have mixed angel and human, man and animal, and animal with animal – your sins against creation have defied the Creator Himself!”
Three final statements echoed in the cavernous domed chamber.
“You have been judged!”
“Judgment is complete!”
“Judgment is Final!”
As Michael spoke the judgments, a silvery mist issued from his mouth, which gathered into a pulsing pillar of cloud next to him. The vapor looked like liquid metal droplets churning together as Michael decreed his words of judgment. A sudden flash of blinding light surged as Michael completed speaking. A gray sword, straight and double-edged, now hung in the air where the cloud had been.
Enmity Page 29