The summoning. Like it or not, the moment had arrived to call on my Malakhim. Those imprinted as my own, buzzed in and out of my awareness not really busy, not quite bored. Sort of flitting around in a wait-and-see landing pattern. Funny, how the same listlessness stirred inside me. Anyway, I promised Sabree it would be soon.
The juggling and sorting faltered more often than not, hungered for renewed energy. Would I ever get used to the Lighted realm? My human component whispered not really. The Malakhim in me burst out with a yes. Anything rated higher than existence as a mere messenger. That left the opinions of the Lighted and anti-ness magical ingredients that composed the new me. Both high and mighty, neither offered a say.
When I first asked aAriel what my role as Timekeeper entailed, she simply said to exist. Maintain time, including each and every branch and dimension. Funny how I ended up with this particular role. Me, the anti-being who exploited time as if it were candy to be handed out. I deserved—earned this job. It lived and breathed within me. So, what could go wrong? What set aThorsis off on the wayward path?
Something had definitely gone sour on his watch. Had boredom encompassed his being? Was boredom even a thing in the Lighted Realm? The Lighted Ones had lost others but never did a replacement step in as I had done for aThorsis. A first time for everything, my uniqueness hinted that I might step in as first timer for many things to come. Look out Lighted Realm.
A low rumble resounded instead of jingling bells of laughter. Although unlimited energy bound within me, the hunger for more amplified the desire to further empower myself. Was the yearning for more an ego trip? Would my Malakhim benefit from the summoning as much as myself? What would I say to them? Assign tasks? Keep the peace? Questions! Questions. Too many kept popping up like kernels of popcorn. I could visualize, even taste the buttery puffs of salted corn. Focus!
Damn, I wished this assignment had come with a new employee manual. No matter, newbie or not, Sabree would be waiting impatiently along with the rest of the Fallen whom I had freed. Maybe they’d guide me to do the right thing. The time had come to test it out. Give it a go.
More questions bombarded my inexperienced mind. Did I have to leave the realm first? Or did they come to me? Maybe we met halfway. Do they report? Or do I to them? Again, minus an instruction manual, I saw no choice but to wing it.
The supernova of my central core undulated as it relayed transmissions to the Malakhim originally initialized by aThorsis, now to me. An awareness sparked to attention brighter than a million beacons, their light suddenly illuminated in my direction. Pure and simple. My magnetic personality exerted a pull on every electron in the known universes to orbit my core nucleus. Just those who belonged to me. Empowered me.
With my sister at his side, Sabree led the mass headed for the realm. My core star zeroed in on each and every one marked by amber hues. Easy to pinpoint even if they did number beyond millions. Sensations of love, friendship, reverence, eager to please, and fear hit me at once. Hit me a million times over as the multitude soared near the speed of light. I relished this experience that should have collided instantaneously. Instead, they advanced steadily with driven purpose. To become one with my being.
Unlike Sabree and most of the Malakhim, I had never been summoned by a Lighted One. A Dark One, aye. Instead, the honor had come to me. I summoned them. The visual spectacle flowed each way, from my point of view to theirs as well. My center reached out with the sole desire to connect, drawing each one in like a superconductor magnet. Their opinions varied.
On one end of the spectrum to the opposite, eagerness to please rose over leave me the hell alone. Granted the negativity hurt, but the awareness comprising me empathized with their angst. Which one felt which way flashed as plain as day. Loree led in the spectrum to leave me the hell alone while her son reigned in the hell-bent urge to greet me. Total acceptance would come soon enough. Give them time. Heck, I juggled every ounce of time in every dimension and realm. No one else could dole it out like yours truly.
The summoning I had dreamt of so long ago did not expose reality from all points of view. Unlike the dream where I and millions flew toward the central star, millions of electrified forms swarmed toward me. As in the dream, their wings flapped melodically like butterflies in slow motion. The ethereal glow from each one simmered in golden hues ranging from neon amber to white-hot yellow. The radiance grew in concentration as they flew closer and nearer together. The visual reminded me of a swarm of fireflies converging on one point of light—me.
Sabree’s thoughts the strongest, loudest, the others a close second, struck with profound intensity. His enthusiasm of seeing me as a Lighted One for the first time, or any in eons, filled my being with radiance. Never had so much love and acceptance collided with such ferocity. Coming from so many, I almost lost control. Let them guide me instead of vice-versa.
To perceive the summoning from the Malakhim’s perspective, my eyes became theirs. Switched it up to their point of view. I saw myself in a different light, no pun intended. The miniature rendering of a galaxy called on them like a beacon offering security and untethered love. The stones spun clockwise, and black holes spun counterclockwise in a frenzy, veering away from each other in reaction to the near collisions. My nucleus embodied a supernova that absorbed the frontline of Malakhim who reached me first. Charged rings of celestial particles and dark matter guided those who resisted my pull, wrapping around them like octopus tentacles. Electrified arcs ignited from the collision of matter and antimatter.
As we merged as one, there would be no going back. Mine forever, minus ill will or remorse. I’d see to it. When the last of the Malakhim absorbed within me, sparks from the supernova radiated outward for infinity. None could detect where I had begun or where they had ended, the whole encompassing as one.
Another blast, sharper and blindingly brilliant, ignited again and again, propelling rings that radiated outward beyond my galaxy’s perimeter. One after the other, rings of dispersing energy increased in velocity, faster and faster like ripples mushrooming outward from a single drop of water. The intensity and expanse of each ring increased hundredfold.
At first, light flickered on and off, on and off, more frequently until it emulated a flashing strobe of laser-sharp rays. It continued to flash until the rings stopped, each one slamming into the next in line until they vibrated in place, the energy building without release. Until…until I could no longer bear the backlog of clamor. Thunder pounded every molecule. I threw them all out at once, each one spiraling off like meteors plummeting into their own realm.
Stunned, I had no idea what took place. One might know, so I held onto Sabree. Maybe he would offer his take on what happened. “Was it good for you?” I asked him.
“Let me go, aBrianel! Formidable crushing…too much dynamism for one so miniscule. Devastating…” His tiny being shuddered, and I feared he might slip into extinction.
Naïve, selfish, I had no idea what my renewed power, now astronomical, would do to him. “My bad.” I released Sabree right away. Launched him back into his own realm. His gasp filled me with relief. “Good-bye, Sabree.”
“See you later,” he whimpered in response. His voice was faint but still within range that never reached an end.
A subsequent summoning would come sooner than Sabree hoped. But first a long nap, thanks to inexperience forcing my hand to bail out before the reward. Dummy me threw them out before fully absorbing the energy required to fuel my core. My light flickered duller than before. A chuckle. For as long as memory served, Sabree had always got the last word in. Or so his meager mind believed. As my nucleus shutdown to conserve energy, I concluded the idiom for him.
“Alligator.”
The End of my future past
ABOUT THE AUTHORs
Devin Lee Carlson is the pseudonym for coauthors Debra DeCosta and Laurie Allen, who have been writing together for over twenty years.
Debbie lives in Western North Carolina where she writes and works part-
time as a freelance copyeditor. Once upon a time, she earned a Bachelor’s in Chemistry and held jobs at Pfizer, Inc. as scientist, technical writer, and editor for the company’s online Knowledge Base. Once an artist, writing opened a creative outlet that inspired her like no other. Hobbies include sculpting polymer clay (mostly Steampunk designs), hiking, and catering to her dog, Eli.
Laurie resides in sunny Florida with her husband, Barry Allen—aka The Flash, and Pinto, a stray kitty she adopted. She enjoys writing fantasy whether urban, paranormal, or epic, and would love to try her hand at a mystery. Laurie also hopes to continue writing more novels with Debbie. “It’s a dream come true to be able to create remarkable characters and their worlds.”
Debbie and Laurie prefer to write fiction, especially urban fantasy, paranormal, and fantasy.
3 3 3
Feedback is essential for Indie Authors such as us. If you enjoyed reading Archangel of the Fallen, we would appreciate hearing from you. Please leave us a review on Amazon.
Archangel of the Fallen Page 33