The Angels' Pride

by Steven Lindsay

  He roared his fury at his constraint, his magic being taken beyond his control. He struggled against the mist and the nets of power the Angel was wrapping around him. Soon the whole lair was illuminated by the sigils and symbols of the Curse.

  Outside the lair, the whole of Hell was lit up in the same manner. The divides between each Level were thick with symbols, big and small, moving over each other and blending together. Within the Levels, large sigils danced lazily across the landscape while the Damned stilled to watched the thousands of tiny sigils racing across their skins.

  Far above in Purgatory the Fallen Angels stilled as the whole of Hell lit up with bright lights, pink and blue symbols dancing across the crater. Then the light spread up each of the Terraces, the stone was lost beneath a flood of symbols, some large others tiny, some blazing white, some pink, some blue and some golden. The Angels smiled for the first time since the Curse was laid upon them as the sigils raced up their skin. The time was near, their suffering was at an end. They were no longer forced to do the tasks set for them. They could still and rest.

  Lucifer was breaking free of his bonds.

  Sariel stepped forward, sending out waves of shimmering sigils. His skin shimmered in response, the thick layers of his Curse lighting up. He roared his distress, his heads flailing around.

  She snapped her fingers, and they all froze.

  She stepped under them all, walking forward to lay her hands upon his chest. She had to stand on her toes to reach it. His skin was perfectly smooth as glass but both hot and cold to the touch. The white sigils across his skin flared pink and blue in response, the Angels’ magic was now clearly visible. She realised there were burn marks beneath the sigils.

  How had Gabriel done this to her own brother? She could never imagine doing this to Michael. She rubbed her hands over the burns, feeling the agony trapped within them. The spells were incredibly vicious, biting down into his burns. Her magic slowly spread through him, in doing so, she shared his pain as her own. The pain would have driven her to her knees, but her hands had fused to his chest. She screamed in agony at the backlash of power striking out at her. Gabriel’s power and the power of the Angelic Horde burned through her, boiling her blood. He roared in unison suffering the same as her.

  He managed to claw his way forward, pushing down to crush her. Lightning struck him down from above, then again and again. A whole matrix of lightning struck down on him. He screamed in pure agony as lightning poured through him, burning his flesh. The air was thick with the smell of burning skin. His tail swished around in anguished frenzy scattering rubble everywhere.

  She struggled to move with his body crushing her, the Lifestream came to her rescue, forcing its way under him and lifting him up off of her. He started to roll around, his wings beating.

  “Lucifer”

  He stilled instantly at his name. A name he had not been called in near two millennia. She pulled her hands away, no longer fused to his skin. She used his many deep scars to clamber up onto his back where his seven necks met. The Lifestream surged up after her, coating his body in the life-giving magic. Most of his body was lost beneath the green mist wrapping around him, and more was still pouring into the Lair.

  He started to moan in pain, Gabriel’s Curse had dug in deep over the centuries, wrapping around his very core and bones.

  She flew up onto his middle head, grabbing it between her glowing hands. It closed its eyes, feeling the comfort of her magic spreading through it. The pain slowly receded from the central head and with it, he regained a grasp of sanity. He was Lucifer that was why he had responded to the name instinctively.

  One of the other heads disappeared as she pulled out a chunk of the Curse. The other heads screamed, except the central one. As she unravelled the section of Curse, she had grabbed onto long lost memories flooded back into him.

  He had a sister called Gabriel and a mother called Israfel. He also had an aunt called Jehoel and a cousin called Ariel. He had never known who his father or uncle were. He had grown up in a very matriarchal family.

  Sariel felt a calm descend on the Beast as the unravelled the last of the memories that had been divided and placed in the head. The Curse had been deliberately designed to make him lose his sanity.

  She grasped onto another flailing head with her powers, ripping it away from the Curse as she started to unravel it. As she did so, the black started to slough off his massive wings. In its place white and gold feathers started to grow from the skin.

  He had had a friend, Michael, who he had grown up loving as a brother. They had learned to fight together, serving in the armies of Ares, Sekhmet, Athena, Guan Yu and Horus. They had participated in various battles the world over, between the Gods and between civilisations.

  She ripped off a third head, dismantling the memories stored within and returning them to the central head. The golden spines along his back started to evaporate. His whole body shimmered.

  More memories flooded in. Michael’s parents had had a little girl, a great celebration among the Angels. Michael had married his sister Gabriel, it had been a wondrous occasion. Their two families had rejoiced, it had been a pleasant interruption to their continual successes in the War. The Celtic Gods had been removed. The Greek/Roman and Egyptian Pantheons had been brought down. The other pantheons had stood back, thinking it merely a family dynasty change. The fools.

  The fourth head faded away. The Dragon continued to shrink and the black faded from his skin, leaving behind grey. More of the sigils covering his body evaporated away.

  He had made a friend in Michael’s father. They saw eye to eye on the problems the Angels were now facing. The lands without Mother Goddesses had started ailing. Gabriel was power hungry, she was refusing their reasoning. The Gods were willing to parley, peace could be brokered. The War could come to an end. But Gabriel hadn’t wanted it, she had liked the power of being an Arch Angel. She did not want to give it up. He had beseeched her time and time again, speaking desperately to Michael. He had even asked their mother to speak to her. But in the end, even Michael had betrayed him. Michael had fought him to distract him while Gabriel had used their blood connection to overcome his defences and Curse him.

  Sariel ripped off the fifth head. Sigils started to evaporate off in a stream as they raced across his body in a chaotic jumble while his body continued to shrink. Already his wings had returned to their original splendour. They were still shrinking, beating back and forth lazily, catching the light to shine brightly.

  He was falling and so were others. There was so much pain, he was burned horribly. He saw Michael and Gabriel’s faces shrinking as Heaven grew further and further away. He was falling faster and faster, he couldn’t fly, his wings had been pinned to his side. Everything was agony, his body was twisting and writhing, his skin was changing colour. His mind was shattering, there were images everywhere. Hundreds of images, none of them making sense.

  The sixth head disappeared as all of Hell started to shake. The cloud banks of the Second and Third Levels started to swirl around. Demons stilled in their torment, the Damned stared in amazement as their punishments ceased. Angel magic flared everywhere sending beams of sunlight spearing through the gloom of Hell. What was left of the Greater Demons and who had been freed turned from their haunts to stare at the Great Stalagmite that was now visible from everywhere in Hell. The Walls of Dis started to crumble, the swamps started to steam and the sand dunes started to whip up. Hell had become a maelstrom of raging magic.

  Angel magic was shattering as the Curse was broken out of Lucifer. Chaos magic flared around her as the planet’s Lifestream surge upwards to her.

  The Beast was nearly no longer the Beast, he had but one dragon head left. His body had nearly receded back to his normal size. His skin was losing its greyish pallor and turning into that beautiful tanned skin she had always envied in Gabriel. His wings were now the same size as hers, his golden talons fusing together and turning into his fingers and toes.

 
Scattered memories clicked into place. He was holding little Sariel, already showing such promise with magic. Watching Adam and Eve leave Eden, the heavy weight of mortality bearing down on them. Walking through his sister’s laboratory feeling pride in her creations. Athena personally asking him to duel, she had beaten him but told him he was the best Angel she had ever fought. He remembered his first drink of Lightningsun, his fist kiss, his first spell, the first sword he ever made. So many firsts. He remembered his late night conversations with Samael on everything from philosophy to magical studies. He had been a wise man, troubled but gifted.

  It all seemed so very long ago.

  Finally, his last head started to evaporate. The horns burned up into a glowing halo as the last remains of his Demonic Curse were pulled out of him. The Dragon head evaporated off of his real head. His tail burned up in a fiery haze. The very last of the sigils flashing over his skin exploded outwards in a blaze of light.

  Left behind was Lucifer’s true form. She looked at him surprised, he was a very handsome man, almost beautiful. Gloriously tanned skin, well-muscled and toned. His skin was warm beneath her hands, which she longed to run through his thick brown hair. She had the strange urge to kiss his lips and the stretched skin of his neck. His exposed chest was smooth and perfect. She blushed when she realised she was holding a naked man in her arms. He was taller than her, with his glorious wings half cupped around her. How she longed to see him in his full glory, he had her full attention and he wasn’t even conscious.

  “Lucifer” she whispered giving in to the urge to brush his hair from his face.

  He opened his eyes, as stunningly violet as her own. They were slightly darker than his sisters, more amethyst than violet. She stared into them, captivated, there was just something about them that drew her in.

  He looked up at her who this beautiful creature was. Her long black hair fell down across him, her stunning violet eyes, almost seeming to glow, watching him. Her skin was flawless porcelain, except for the green vines winding down from her neck to her right forearm. Brownish sigils danced across her skin as little more than shadows. He vaguely wondered what they meant. She wore incredible jewellery, the style of which reminded him very much of the Olympians. He had the strangest urge to reach up and kiss those beautiful violet lips. “Who are you?”

  She smiled, “Welcome back Lucifer, I’m Sariel.”

  The cavern above them groaned as gigantic cracks spider-webbed across the ceiling and walls. Shouts and screams filled the air. The whole of Hell started to shake. The stalactite above them exploded in a shower of light that was whipped away in the raging maelstrom that was consuming Hell. They stared up in horror at the raging tempest as it savaged the Terraces of Purgatory. The groaning of thousands of tonnes of rock cracking filled the air above even the storm. Large sections of Purgatory had started to fall even as chunks of the Level cliffs were ripped upwards. The waters of the Acheron were caught in a demented dance between the collapsing Purgatory and rising Hell.

  They could see for miles in every direction as the Gates of Hell was thrown open, the contents of the Curse breathing in real air for the first time as they were sucked upwards into a raging vortex.

  He turned back to look at her “What have you done?”

  She knelt transfixed, clutching to him for dear life “I don’t know.”

  What in the name of Hell had she unleashed?

  Glossary

  Abaddon: Fallen Angel of Destruction.

  Aisling: The current Fae Princess.

  Angels: Winged Divine beings, separated into three divisions; Elder, Ascended, and Lesser. All ruled by the seven Arch Angels.

  Angel Weave: The special talent of the Angels to combine their magic.

  Anu: Mesopotamian sky god, Lilith’s father.

  Arch Angel: The seven most powerful Arch Angels, often referred to as the Seven. Current Arch Angels are Gabriel, Michael, Azrael, Ariel, Uriel, Raphael, and Sariel.

  Ariel: Daughter of Jehoel, Gabriel and Lucifer are her cousins. One of the Arch Angels, her personal guard are the Inquisitors.

  Apocalypse: A devastating spell that the Seven can unleash, uncontrollable.

  The Acheron: One of the Rivers of Death, all of which flow into the Acheron, which flows into Hell.

  Ariadne: Demigoddess, once the Mistress of the Labyrinth and wife of Dionysus.

  Ascended Angel: Saints who have been granted Divinity. Characterised by their four wings.

  Atlantis: Ancient islands ruled by many Gods and Primordial Gods, once a great place of learning and magic before it was destroyed.

  Atlanteans: Refugees of Atlantis, who sought sanctuary with the Fae, now serve as the military arm of the Seelie Court. Very technologically advanced.

  Avalon: Ancient primordial Goddess, who created the Fae, also refers to the British Isles, which she created.

  Azrael: Brother of Samael, the Arch Angel of Death, his personal guard are the Reapers.

  The Beast: Lucifer’s Cursed form.

  Brigid: Celtic Goddess imprisoned at the start of the War. The Heir of Avalon.

  Behemoth: Greater Demon, Guardian of Gluttony.

  Cathair: Prince of the Fae.

  Cerberus: Divine Monster Guardian of Hades.

  Chaos: Refers to the universe and its unfathomable powers, parent of Gaia and thus the planet.

  Charon: The Ferryman, transports the dead to Hades and Hell.

  The Council: The Council of Elders who govern Heaven and the Angels.

  The Curse: The Angels’ Curse, Hell’s Curse, Gabriel’s Curse, Michael’s Curse, the spell that caused the Fall and transformed Lucifer into the Beast and created Hell.

  Daemons: Magical races throughout the world, hunted by the Angels.

  The Damned: The Cursed, tortured mortal citizens of Hell.

  Dante: One of Gabriel’s favourites, gave Hell its structure.

  Demeter: Mother of Persephone, one of Hera’s sisters.

  Demons: The Angels’ term for Daemons, also the Cursed denizens of Hell.

  Desiccation: A process in which Divine beings bodies cease to function but the power is too strong to fade away.

  Dragons: a Divine race of primordial creatures older than the Gods. Hunted to extinction.

  Eden: Primordial Goddess, her Garden later became the home of the Angels.

  Elder Angel: Divine Demigods, often the bastard offspring of Gods. Characterised by six wings and great power.

  The Elites: Terrifying Monsters that Hera has crafted out of children who have suffered sexual abuse.

  Encantado: Mysterious Daemon race from the Amazon.

  Erebus: Primordial God of darkness.

  Fae/Fairies: Divine, mortal spirits that live in Avalon and are descended from her. Governed by the Seelie Court and ruled by the Fae Queen.

  The Fall: When Gabriel and Michael cast out Lucifer and his brethren from Heaven.

  Gabriel: Daughter of Israfel and sister of Lucifer. The most powerful Arch Angel, her personal guard are the Seraphim.

  Gadawsant: The Forsaken, the Wild Ones. The descendants of Fairies and Elves who broke their oaths and thus were cursed.

  Gaia: First of all Primordial Gods, she is the planet’s spirit and the only true child of Chaos.

  Glamour: A spell to assume the appearance of being Human.

  Gods: Immortal Divine beings of phenomenal powers that once ruled the world. The offspring of the Primordial Gods.

  Gorgons: All female Serpentine Daemon race. Have snakes for hair.

  Greater Demon: Extremely powerful Demons created by the Curse.

  Hades: Greek God of the Dead, also the Underworld realm he rules.

  Harpies: Divine Avian race who torture the Damned in both Hell and Hades.

  Hecate: Titaness of Magic.

  Hera: Greek Goddess, one of the most powerful Goddesses to have ever lived. The current Queen of Heaven.

  Hypnos: Greek God of Dreams, brother of Thanatos.

  The Furies: Also the Erinyes
, minor Goddesses that hunted down criminals.

  Heaven: A magical realm in the sky, home of the Gods and Angels.

  Hell: Largest of all the Underworlds, formed when Lucifer fell from Heaven and from the Angels’ Curse.

  Inanna: Mesopotamian Goddess, considered the mother of the Angels. Once the Queen of Heaven.

  Isis: Egyptian Goddess of Magic, once the Queen of Heaven

  Kali: Hindu Goddess, the last shade of a once great pantheon.

  Kitsune: A magical race of fox shapeshifters, most magical of all the Were.

  Lampades: Underworld Nymphs utterly loyal to Hecate. Have the gift of prophecy.

  Lesser Angels: Spirits of mortals who serve the other Angels. Characterised by two wings.

  Leviathan: Greater Demon, Guardian of Wrath.

  The Lifestream: From whence all spirits and souls come from and return. The endless cycle of life magic that keeps the world alive.

  Lilin: Daemon race, males are Incubi, females Succubi.

  Lilith: Fallen Arch Angel, Michael and Sariel’s mother. Considered to be the Mother of the Lilin. Was married to Samael and Adam.

  Maenads: Warrior Nymphs once loyal to Dionysus, the only surviving Nymph species on the Surface.

  Mammon: Fallen Angel and Greater Demon.

  Medusa: The only mortal Gorgon, Cursed into Hell to become a Greater Demon.

  Michael: Husband of Gabriel and Sariel’s brother. Arch Angel, his personal guard are the Cherubim. An Angel of Death. One time friend of Lucifer.

  Minotaurs: Bovine Daemon race. The original was Asterion in the Labyrinth.

  Minos: Judge of the dead in both Hades and Hell.

  Monsters: Divine creatures of considerable power, usually the offspring of Primordial Gods and Gods though many have been created by Gabriel.

  Naga: Divine beings that once lived in Lumeria and after its destruction South Asia. Hunted to extinction.

  Nemesis: Goddess of Revenge.

  Nephilim: The children of Angels and Humans.

  Nymphs: All female Divine race. Often taken as the lovers by the Gods, usually mated with the Satyrs. Wide range of species with varying powers. Most species have been hunted to extinction.