Cleopatra stared at her in surprise. She had thought everyone knew of her “The Last Pharaoh of Egypt before it was swallowed up by Rome.”
“If you are Egyptian shouldn’t you been in Aaru with your Gods?”
“I was until Dante’s writings influenced Humans so much that their perception pulled me out of Aaru and flung me into here. Apparently to Christians I am the epitome of the sin of Lust. But I am not alone in my treatment, plenty of us have been pulled from our final resting places to suffer for sins we committed before the notion of sin even existed.”
“You mean others have been pulled from other Underworlds?”
“To suffer for all eternity. Or at least while the world still holds up. By the Angels teachings, we are Demons, the perception only strengthened over the centuries, and we continue to suffer. The injustice of it all completely undermines the Angels’ teachings, but of course, mortals don’t know about our suffering. Demons belong in Hell, even if you’re only seen as one.”
Sariel couldn’t believe the injustice of it all. To rip people away from their resting places and cast them into Hell because they embodied a sin that hadn’t been a sin in their time. It was barbaric. As for the poor Daemon races they were automatically thrown straight into Hell for being something they could not change. She knew that that included the Lilin, Vampires and Werewolves but there had to be other races equally tortured. Only the Nymphs and Fairies avoided being sucked into Hell because their spirits stayed with the land and never entered the Underworld.
She wondered if there were any Lilin in the other Levels or if they were all in the Lust Level.
There was a loud screech and before she knew what had happened Cleopatra had flung herself off the terrace into the raging storm. At first, she thought it the actions of a lunatic until she saw the huge dark shape coming towards her. It was a gigantic bird, a huge dark shape whenever the clouds lit up. A darkness that stood out even against the dark clouds. And it was heading straight for her.
Sariel had no idea what to do. Jumping into the storm was not an option, and she couldn’t even see where the stairs leading off the terrace were.
She started to run across the terrace casting her eyes back at the creature. It resembled some kind of colossal Griffin landing on its four legs. It was covered in black feathers, right to its reptilian tail that was a mixture of black and grey scales. Even the skin on its feet was black. It looked down at her with burning blood red eyes.
It screeched again, drowning out all other noise as it charged towards her. It took four steps to traverse the entire distance, then its claws were swiping at her, and its beak was snapping. She jumped up into the air, using her wings to flit about but she had never flown in a storm before. Her control was weak, her evasions of the creature were more a testament to the storm than her skills.
It jumped forward and because of its sheer size she had no chance of avoiding it. She ploughed into it, hastily gripping onto feathers larger than she was. She turned her face away from the blood and gore that coated it. It turned out to be a mistake. The creature launched itself into the air, leaving far behind the terrace.
It was a nightmare. The thing screeched rendering her deaf. Bodies flew at her, many being cut asunder against the sharp feathers, covering her in their blood. Their screams filled her ears when the creature’s did not. She clung desperately to the feathers, ignoring the pain as she cowered against it.
What else could she do?
It had flown for what seemed like hours. It seemed to have forgotten about her, but she feared to let go. In this storm, she would be lost and disorientated in a second. She simply would not stand a chance. But she was fed up.
She shook her head at her own stupidity. Her life with the Angels had conditioned her to life with no magic. She had magic, a lot apparently. She quickly turned within herself searching for what would help her. She passed by night and fire, Hell was strong in them there was no way she could combat its greater power. She was wrong, but she didn’t know that. Water would not serve her well nor would death, they both permeated the air. She needed something different, something in contrast.
Light called to her, and she beckoned it. It unwound within her, like a flower blooming. A ray of light burst out of her chest, expanding until her entire chest was a blazing sun. The creature screeched as it suddenly became aware of the Angel attached to it. Angels were the bringers of pain. Why was one here? Was it the Apocalypse? They were coming for its flesh to feed their followers. It screamed forth its terror trying to shake off the Angel with all its might.
Sariel despite her Divine strength was sent spinning away, sharp feathers cutting through her hands. Blood droplets flew slowly past her eyes, sparkling with the magic she was using. The whole world slowed down, the lightning flashes lasted longer as did the darkness between. The bodies floated past her slowly, she could see the pain and suffering written all across their face in blood. She could even hear what they were screaming “Beware the Ziz!”
The Ziz wheeled around, its burning eyes focusing on the streaks of light. It shrieked its fury, how dare they come for its flesh, how dare they invade her last retreat. Ironic that she saw her prison as her sanctuary now. She had been banished here when the Angels took over the world and only summoned occasionally to do their bidding.
They had Cursed her and stripped her of her vibrant beauty. Forced her from the open skies and fresh air, dragged her away from the fertile lands she had cultivated for millennia. They had cast her down into this damned abyss, trapped within the eternal storms born of the fires of Hell and the Waters of Death.
And now they had finally come for to collect her flesh promised to their followers. No, they would not have her flesh it belonged to the earth, not to domesticated Angel spawn. They would not have it!
She charged forward screaming at the haze of light.
Sariel beat her wings slowly, holding her position with the aid of her magic. She was still staring at her hands, silver blood pooling in her hands and dripping away. Mortal weapons, whether natural or handmade, could not harm Divine flesh. The Ziz had to be Divine.
She realised that the blood droplets were floating in the air about her, sparkling like jewels in the darkness. Even the rain had stilled, reflecting her light into a myriad of rainbows. Everything had stilled and then she realised that the shrieking of the Ziz held magic. It was the focal point of power for the Lust Level. She wondered if the connection was simply because the Ziz was a flying creature or if it had in some way had committed the sin of lust.
Through the twilight, she noticed the Ziz charging full pelt at her. She pulled up her magic, feeding the blazing sun of her chest that was spreading throughout her. She was a blazing sun, in every cell from the tips of her toes to the tips of her hair floating around her. She was more light than flesh, stabbing outwards into the darkness, pushing them back. But the darkness was extensive, and her light could only probe so far. She turned her attention to the Ziz as it charged towards her, she swung her arm down and a ray of burning light followed. It slashed across its chest, burning away shadows to reveal a line of copper. Just as she had expected the Ziz had been corrupted by the spells of Hell. She could use her Angel magic to convert it back to its natural form.
Then the Ziz was on her, its forelegs clawing forward, the beak following close behind. The one advantage of it being so vast was once she dodged them she was relatively safe. Nemesis had trained her well, she easily dodged talons and beak to grab onto its feathers on its shoulders. She didn’t want it to be able to claw at her. Everywhere she touched blazed copper before the shadows closed back in.
It shrieked its dismay and horror at not being able to reach her. It snapped its wings and rolled trying to knock her off. Then it spotted its terrace in the distance, it would be able to roll on her.
Sariel had other ideas. She grabbed as many feathers as she could and wrapped her legs around them. Not that it did much, she felt as insignificant as a tick. But she was no tick, she was a demigo
ddess Arch Angel with powerful bloodlines and magic. With a scream of pain, her magic exploded out of her into the Ziz. It shrieked in agony, falling onto the terrace and skating across its surface. She tried to reach around to grasp the light and Angel, she rolled over to crush her. But try as she might she could not dislodge the Angel.
Sariel used her magic to bind herself to the Ziz, reaching into its power base, seeking out its core. Her powers flitted across its flanks, black flickering copper before turning back to black. The shadows were strong, so was the spell binding them to her. Already the darkness was smothering them both, reducing Sariel’s blaze of light to spears that barely illuminated the terrace. She turned her magic inwards, the Ziz blazed from within with such intensity that it managed to shine through even her shadowy feathers.
Sariel continued to probe and search, shaping her magic within the creature. Ziz tried to struggle, tried to claw and snap, even roll over but to no avail. She just could not dislodge the Angel. It was going to have its flesh, what was taking it so long anyway. Was it just toying with her? The Angels were a sick lot. She shrieked her dismay as she saw light shining out of herself. What was it doing to her? She shrieked even louder when she heard a gentle female voice whisper gently into her mind.
Remember who you are Simurgh
Then she plunged down into memories.
The sun warmed her coppered feathers as she glided through the air, watching the desert people beneath her...ploughing fields with her talons, using her magic to make them fertile, watching her people gather the fruits of their labour...she remembered when she was young, the colours of her feathers, she remembered the destruction of various civilisations, one of the so-called end of the worlds. She had lived through several, she had even survived the first Apocalypse...She had seen the fall of kings, of Gods, of Lucifer and his brethren, the fall of her people and their massacre...She had seen the world change, the Gods change, mortal races and civilisations rise and fall time and time again. She was ancient even by the Gods standards...It had all changed when the vicious and conniving Angels had overthrown the Gods and ripped her from everything she had ever known. What had she ever done to them, she had mothered none, she had caused no wars, she had stayed out of Divine politics. She had not intervened. Yet they had turned her into a Monster and cast her into Hell.
Sariel watched the light burn off the shadows from within, the darkness trailed off of Simurgh as thick smoke trails. Light started to burst out from between the swirling darkness. She couldn’t see it, but Sariel felt Simurgh’s heart absorb her powers, pumping them through her body and driving out the last of the shadows. It also unlocked her own true powers for her once again. To her magical vision, she saw the chains of Gabriel’s spell sliding off of her true form, saw the colours appearing underneath the darkness. She urged her magic along Gabriel’s chains, breaking and unlocking them, setting Simurgh free of her Monster Curse.
Further afield, they were both watched by the denizens of the Lust Level. In all their time in Hell, the storm had never once stopped howling. There had never been any Angels, only Demons moving between the Levels. And the Ziz had never been able to still, driven to the brink of madness by the Curse. But now they watched as an Angel drowned the stilled Ziz in intense light. She had stopped the storm, had driven light into darkness, and even as the Ziz lay twisting on the terrace the darkness of the Level was fading. A soft grey light infused the clouds.
They watched as light exploded out of the Ziz, a circle rippled through the whole level, casting slight rainbows within the clouds. They had forgotten colours.
Shadows retracted from her chest as the light continued to pour forth. Where she had been covered and contained within darkness, now her true beauty was free to shine.
Her neck was covered in coppery fur that ran under her body and down her legs. The back of her neck was feathered in all the colours of the rainbow, spreading down her back and into her long tail somewhat of a combination between peacock and bird of paradise. Her wings looked more like rainbows than feathers. Her talons changed into shining copper as light danced across her whole form.
Her colossal form shrank, she was no longer the gigantic Greater Demon Ziz but a far smaller animal Goddess. Her eyes opened to reveal brown then closed again as she gave a gentle sigh.
Sariel found it far easier to climb down off of Simurgh. She walked around to look at Simurgh front on. She was a stunning creature, and she had felt her heart, she was so kind and gentle. Why had the Angels done this to her? She had done nothing to them. There was no mention of her in the journals she had read. This was not an act of revenge but pure cruelty.
She glanced around the Lust Level in surprise. It looked like a very cloudy day. Grey clouds drifted about, and the occasional ray of sunlight streamed through. The violent winds had died down, leaving the bodies to gently float through the air. There was nothing she could do for them but at least she had eased their suffering.
She placed her hand on Simurgh’s beak, it was still larger than her, “Sleep well Simurgh, you truly deserve it.”
Then she turned away and headed over to the steps at the edge of the terrace. She started following the trail again. She cast one last glance back at Simurgh sleeping peacefully and the changes she had wrought on this Level. She smiled at her achievement before skipping a little bit down the path. Next was the Gluttony Level and the dangers it would hold.
At least, this time, she knew she was walking into danger, no matter how serene it pretended to be.
The two youths ran through the shadows of the cathedral, keeping out of the streetlights as much as they could. The taller one eased forward, glancing around cautiously. The other gently placed his hand on his shoulder, before slipping around him to try the side door.
The taller shook his head “of course it’s locked James” then he pushed him out of the way before lifting a hand shrouded in red shadows. The lock clicked open, and the other quickly pushed the door open and pulled the other into the church. “You might have magic Rob, but you still need a Human to help you enter a holy place.”
Rob grimaced “A place that you as a gay are technically banned from. Seeing as you are damned to burn in the bowels of Hell.”
“Phht like Hell actually exists. Christians are deluded like there is an actual God who sits up there watching us and sending us to Hell. And if there is there is something very fucked up about it. Besides you’re an Incubus, you’re Demon spawn and cannot enter without my help. You tell me who is going to Hell?”
Rob stared down at him “There was a time that the Gods did such things, but then they were killed by the Angels. There is no God but there are Angels, hundreds and thousands of them, and if the rumours are true then we shall sanctify this cathedral in Brigid’s name.”
“Oh, you’re actually serious about that. I thought it was just a ruse to make it into a role-play.”
“Of course, this is very serious James. This could get us killed. You only think about sex don’t you?”
James smiled “You say that like it’s a bad thing. Where else are you going to get a Human boyfriend with a sex drive to match an Incubus’?” he reached up and kissed Rob, deepening it quickly. Rob soon found himself scrabbling along the walls as James expertly started to remove his clothing. It was a bit of a rush for James but for Rob it was much more serious. He had heard the story of Joshua Brigidsword, or so he called himself now, who had had sex with the Goddess in the middle of Saint Peter’s Cathedral in Adelaide. It had caused quite the media sensation. It also would have had all the Angels for miles flocking. It was bad enough there were so many in Australia at the moment.
It had caused claims of mass hallucination to divine intervention. Who knew what had happened in the cathedral. Since then Josh was now the High Priest of the Brigidites in Australia. Their numbers were growing rapidly, thanks mostly to the Daemons but also among the people living along the Murray River. Josh had disappeared, mostly to stop the Angels killing him, but he did reappe
ar for significant events. He had watched the videos on the internet. He was also very active among the magical races.
For it would seem that Brigid had given him the gift of magic, long forgotten to Humans and weak within the magical races. Rumour had it that anyone who defiled a church in Brigid’s name was given the gift of magic. He planned to do that to find out. And even if it was fruitless then at least he had defiled a church. But this wasn’t just any church, this was Saint Mary’s Cathedral, the seat of the Catholic Church in Australia, and one of the many prominent sights of Sydney. It was a miracle combined with his own magic that they had not alerted security.
“This would be hotter on the altar” James whispered into his ear as he raised his face from Rob’s body. Amazing that he knew exactly what was needed to defile a church the most when he was just kinky. He accepted the fact that there were Daemons, but he didn’t accept Angels or Gods. Rob picked up James, who promptly wrapped his legs around his waist as Rob carried him up the steps to the altar. They knocked over candles and pushed a bible off the altar in their passion. James giggled as he looked around at the pictures and stained glass windows “They’re certainly going to get a show tonight” Even Rob smirked at that before going down on James.
The only sound in the empty cathedral were James’ gasps and moans of pleasure, followed by the clang of metal as he knocked something off the altar. He grabbed Rob’s face and pulled him back up to kiss him. His spare hand started pulling down Rob’s underwear “Take me now. Make love to me.”
Rob smiled as he stepped out of his underwear, then kissed him deeply as James wrapped his arms and legs around him, his body arching up towards him. Their love while young was pure and passionate. Strong enough to last a lifetime or to lay their lives down for each other. It transcended the borders of their races.
He dropped down to rummage through his trousers.
“What are you doing?”
“Getting the lube idiot. Don’t think you’d really want it dry.”
The Angels' Pride Page 37