“When we can,” Gabriel said, “we save the righteous and the wicked alike. Remember, even when Cain killed Abel, we protected Cain so he could take his tribe elsewhere in the world. Angels of Sky Jerusalem believe that even the most wicked deserve many chances at repentance. But you can imagine, we have the whole Earth to cover.
Judas had no idea how big the Earth was, but it must be really far and wide. He had travelled for many years with the Master, but they still had not covered the whole of it.
“With how large the Earth is and how many people there are,” Gabriel continued, “Each angel is assigned a portion of the land. The areas with higher population density are assigned with more angels.”
Seeing that Judas was not satisfied, Gabriel continued.
“Imagine this situation,” Gabriel said, “when a human king raises an army of four hundred thousand men. Then that king wages war against the other kingdoms.”
“In such situation,” Gabriel continued, “How can we angels save everyone?”
Judas thought about it.
“There are only seventy two thousand of us angels,” Gabriel said, “In such case, it is difficult to save everyone. We are not gods. There's a limit to our power, even with our technology it continues to be a challenge to manage the Earth.”
“So first,” Judas said, finally seeing the big picture, “you prioritize saving the righteous, then when you can, the angels save the rest.”
Judas had another idea.
“But in such a case,” Judas said, “why not just defeat the tyrant king who is leading the war in the first place?”
“We are not allowed to engage in war with humans,” the angel said, “we cannot kill the king. Even if we were allowed to, it's not as easy.”
“Why?” Judas asked.
“Because of the Earthborn angels,” Gabriel said. “They are the angels who are outside the rule of Sky Jerusalem. They have chosen not to side with us.”
Judas wore a blank expression.
“The angels are not all united,” Gabriel explained. “We are mainly divided according to the angels of Sky Jerusalem, and the Earthborn angels.”
“We have a sensitive peace pact with the Earthborns,” Gabriel explained, “Unfortunately, they number far more than us. Some of them are peaceful, some of them keep to themselves and don't want anything to do with us, while others interact and influence humans, secretly raising human armies to once again rise up against us.”
Judas shook his head, still finding it hard to accept all these. By now, they were close to where Judas had left the place where he had hidden the sacred blade and amulet. Gabriel had slowed down the merkavah so they could talk, otherwise it would have been difficult to communicate over the howl of the wind. The merkavah sped up, or rather, sped down, since they were from far above.
However, as they approached the place, Judas saw a figure of a plump, bald man digging around the area and just about finding the two items.
Judas grumbled under his breath as he recognized the man immediately.
“ICHAAAAAAAAAB!” Judas yelled.
The bald man gave out a bewildered cry, looking for the source of the noise. Seeing nothing because Gabriel and Judas were still invisible, the bald man continued digging, but faster this time. Gabriel nodded to Judas, and the black merkavah let go of the feet of Judas so he could step off.
Ichab jumped in surprise at the sound of Judas landing. The man scurried away, but in his panic, Ichab's feet became tangled and he fell. Ichab tried to scramble away, but Judas caught up to him immediately.
Ichab turned, wearing a wide grin that broke his face in two.
“Teacher, ah, he, he,” Ichab grinned.
Judas sighed.
Ichab had a huge apologetic grin on his face. “Judas, my teacher!” Ichab said, “You almost scared me, I thought it was the enemy.” Ichab wiped the sweat from his brows in mock relief.
“I'm glad it was you,” Ichab said. Ichab had both of his hands at his back.
“And what do you think,” Judas said, “you're doing with those two items?”
“I can explain!” Ichab said. “People were following you, and I followed your tracks, so I wanted to help you, see. But then the tracks led here, and there seems to be some treasure buried here... And it didn’t look like anyone would come back for it. Why, it would be such a waste.” Judas was quite careful to erase his tracks and mislead his pursuers away from this site. Judas wondered how Ichab was able to find the spot.
“It’s not stealing if no one owns it, yes?” Ichab said. “And I wanted to dig it out because we could maybe sell it and it would help us on our journey. I’m sorry I didn’t get to you immediately, I just wanted to help.”
Ichab handed the amulet to Judas. “Here, it’s really for you, a-he-he?” Ichab did not know that it was Judas who buried it, so he probably thought Judas was unaware of the other item.
Judas raised his brows impatiently.
“And?” Judas said.
“And?” Ichab echoed, his eyes going side to side. “What is it Teacher?”
“There is another item is there not?” Judas said, meaning the dagger.
“Oh!” Ichab said. “Yes, the other item.” Ichab reached under his pocket and took out a small trinket. It would have sold for something, but not nearly as much as the dagger. “Could you mean this?” Ichab grinned widely, his misaligned teeth making up more than half of his face.
Judas looked down, shaking his head. Ichab never failed to challenge his patience.
“I mean...” Judas approached, “THE DAGGER.”
Ichab scratched his head, hesitated, then handed the dagger to Judas, which he had somehow hidden behind a foot. Judas looked at the dagger to make sure Ichab hadn't given him something else, because one never knew what tricks Ichab had under his sleeve.
Then Ichab turned to the companion of Judas and began to introduce himself, “Hi, nice to meet you, my name is Icha—aaaaaaaAAAAAAAH!” Ichab cried as if the world was ending and he scrambled backwards away from Gabriel. As if that wasn't enough, Ichab hid behind Judas. “Who is that?!?!”
Judas’s expression darkened in embarrassment. “He is an angel, show some respect!” Judas’s said, the veins on his neck showing. Ichab looked up at Gabriel for a few moments, dumbstruck.
Ichab must have sensed what Judas had sensed with Gabriel earlier. Ichab was no fool, he knew something was off right at the start.
“I apologize,” Ichab bowed, sweating.
Judas sighed.
But Gabriel was not paying attention. Instead, the angel was scanning the distance. “There are people approaching,” Gabriel announced. It must be the ones who saw Judas hang himself, they must have heard the commotion, what with Ichab squealing like a pig. If they saw Judas alive, they would know he was sill alive, and they would continue hunting him down.
Gabriel walked calmly towards the merkavah, humans were no danger to him, but Judas hurried on. The sooner he could go invisible, the better. But as he stepped on the merkavah, Judas turned to look at Ichab. What was Judas going to do with him?
“We need to go,” Gabriel said.
“Teacher?” Ichab said, looking left and right, as if looking for the best exit in case the pursuers appeared.
Judas sighed.
“I know it's a lot to ask but,” Judas said, “Can we bring him with us? Maybe we can drop him somewhere along the way, where it’s safe?”
Gabriel nodded, as if it was of no importance.
It didn't look like the three would fit, however, as Ichab approached, the merkavah expanded in size to accommodate all three. Ichab was a bit jumpy about the merkavah, but he kept quiet and tried to be composed. “How does it float above the ground?” Ichab wondered.
Judas held the amulet in his hand and closed his eyes, then he began imagining Arcana’s face. At that moment, he could sense the direction that she was at. He didn’t know how he knew, he could just feel it. Gabriel steered the ship in that direction.
Ichab tried to keep himself calm, but his composure was blown away when the merkavah sped up. Judas flinched at Ichab’s screams and had to cover his ears. Gabriel, on the other hand, didn’t seem affected at all. After a while, Ichab stopped screaming, though he looked quite sick. Judas hoped Ichab could hold it in. At this speed, Judas didn't want to imagine what would happen if Ichab blew up in front of them.
Gabriel sat himself down, and Judas followed the angel's example. Although the merkavah already held his feet in place, it felt better to sit. Ichab on the other hand looked too dazed to even make a decision.
Judas watched the trees and the land go by, and took the beauty of creation as it flashed by below. Earlier, he had been busy learning more about Sky Jerusalem, but now he could finally focus on the magnificent view from above. He almost felt disappointed that it was over because, in a few short minutes, they had arrived at their destination.
It was an encampment several miles away from the city, there were dozens of tents. The merkavah sped down, and as they drew closer, Judas could make out the small figures of soldiers, and horses, and...
There were battles on two fronts that Judas could see. In the middle of the camp, a tall man with unkempt, raven hair stood at the lead, followed by people who seemed covered in soot and dark mud. As the merkavah hovered closer still, Judas realized they looked less like people and more like—
“Great heavens,” Ichab cried out. “Those people look like corpses! In fact...” Ichab peered closer. “I think some of them have bones sticking out of their bodies! Why, they are corpses!”
Ichab shuddered visibly.
Judas tried not to shudder back.
“The Undead,” Gabriel said in his unnaturally deep voice.
Chapter 16 – The Immortal King
“Don’t those creatures scare you Teacher?” Ichab said, wondering at the lack of reaction from Judas. To Ichab, Judas might have looked composed, what Ichab didn’t know was that the hands and feet of Judas had gone cold. All his instincts told him to run, but he had to save Arcana and Varak.
“This is where we need to be,” Judas gritted his teeth to prevent them from chattering. He was glad that he had declined Arcana’s Blood Oath, otherwise he would have lived his life like a living hell. What with the Undead, and jinns, and the Inquisition chasing after the power that Arcana possessed.
The soldiers of the enemy camp fought, holding the corpses back by forming a phalanx of shields while stabbing at the horde of dead creatures pressing against them. On closer view, they weren't only human corpses, but corpses of animals, wolves, ravens, serpents, and a host of other animals.
Arrows flew and hit the dead, but they did little to slow the dead down. The others attempted to use fire arrows, which seemed to work better, but Judas could see how the army of corpses would eventually overpower the soldiers.
“It's good that we came when we did,” Gabriel said. “Otherwise your friends may not survive this.” Gabriel said. “Now which ones are your friends?”
Judas concentrated on the amulet to get a bearing then pointed a finger towards a large tent in the middle of the camp. Gabriel swerved the merkavah in that direction.
“Shouldn’t we head to the other direction,?” Ichab squealed in panic. “That seems pretty close to those dead creatures.”
Judas didn’t need Ichab’s squealing to add any more to the terror that he felt. On the outer edge of the camp, Judas noticed a small band forcing its way deeper into the enemy camp. On closer look, it was Gnaeus, with about a dozen or so men with him. Gnaeus was probably using the commotion as a diversion so he and his men could rescue Arcana, since most of the enemy forces were on the other side of the camp. Judas wondered if the Undead had anything to do with Arcana being there. It probably did, as Arcana seemed to attract all sorts of trouble.
Gabriel landed the merkavah behind the phalanx of soldiers. Judas wished Gabriel had brought them closer, but he didn’t complain. There must have been a reason why Gabriel decided to land here. Gabriel removed their cover of invisibility and, at their appearance, both the Undead and the enemy soldiers turned on the apparent threat. It was only for a brief moment that the enemy soldiers were hesitant.
“What's that?” one of the enemy soldiers pointed to the three floating above.
“Shoot it!” their leader called out.
The enemy soldiers began shooting bolts and arrows at Gabriel. However, none of them could reach the angel, as it seemed like an invisible barrier surrounded the merkavah riders that slowed down the arrows until they stopped in mid-air.
In response, Gabriel unsheathed his sword and pointed it skyward and, from that, lightning arced in all directions setting the ground and several tents aflame and burning the first wave of walking corpses.
Even though none of the lightning hit the soldiers—Judas remembered that Gabriel was not allowed to kill—they were all shaken by the attack and many scrambled away as fast as they could. The Undead appeared to be holding back, and Judas doubted that they did so because they were afraid. He wasn’t sure if those creatures still had their minds or hearts to feel any terror at all.
With the ground clear, Gabriel stepped down the ship. Then one among the Undead stepped forward, though this one looked more like a man and less like the dead, if not for being ghastly pale.
“Immortal King,” Gabriel said, his voice booming. With the figure of the Immortal King standing several hand spans taller than Gabriel, it looked like a young man fighting against a tall giant. But Judas knew better.
“Scourge of mankind,” Gabriel said, “I will cleanse the world of your pestilence.” Gabriel's words of conviction reminded Judas of the man he had met earlier, Shaul. Judas shuddered at the memory, or rather, also at Shaul’s memories. He could still remember Shaul's experiences, thoughts, and sensations like it were his own.
“Ah, Gabriel,” the Immortal King sneered as he took one slow step after another and closed the gap between him and Gabriel. “Perhaps you will make a fine addition to my undying army. An angel Undying. Can you imagine?” The Immortal King cackled a mad laughter.
“Think about it,” the Immortal King said, “you will gain True Immortality, and have eternity at your fingertips. Out of respect, I will give you a chance to surrender. I would rather have you fresh and complete, rather than... torn to pieces and reassembled. I will even let you keep your consciousness. You will not be like the others who are mere puppets.” The Immortal King reached out with his long fingers, towering over Gabriel.
But before the Immortal King’s hand could reach Gabriel, the angel struck the hand in two and cut the Immortal King’s hand. Then Gabriel dashed forward and swung his sword to cut off the Immortal King’s head.
The Immortal King's head fell down, an expression of disbelief on its face, as the head rolled on the ground. The head stared lifelessly at the sky.
From the severed neck, blood spread everywhere, and to Judas’s surprise, it was the color of human blood.
“HAH! All that talk and he’s not that tough after all,” Ichab snorted. Despite Ichab's bravado, Ichab was hiding behind Judas, and Judas could feel the man shivering.
Ichab was right. Though the Immortal King appeared powerful, he probably had not accounted for the fact that this was an angel he was fighting against. In the face of an angel of Gabriel’s caliber, even the leader of the Undead stood as no match.
However, as if responding to Ichab’s words, the eyes from the severed head suddenly shifted and fell on Ichab. The severed head smiled an evil grin.
Each one of the Immortal King's teeth were sharp fangs.
Then the eyes shifted back towards Gabriel.
“Pity that even an angel of the highest rank can’t kill me,” the severed head spoke, then smiled mockingly at Gabriel, showing more fanglike teeth. “After I get one angel, it will be easier to get more angels. And after that, guess what's next?”
The Immortal King laughed madly.
“After I take the angels,”
The Immortal King said, “I will take on God himself!”
At this, Gabriel sent lighting and blew up the head in flames.
Was it over? Judas hoped, but he felt doubtful because the headless body still stood standing.
The charred remains of the head melted into the ground, leaving only mist. But even that mist gathered around the headless body, and slowly formed into the head of the Immortal King. Even after all that, the Immortal King looked unscathed.
Ichab shrieked.
“Go,” Gabriel said in a commanding voice.
Judas wasted no time. Judas followed the amulet to the tent where Arcana and Varak were being kept, while Ichab trailed closely behind.
Ichab muttered prayers.
“We’re in trouble, BIIIIG trouble!” Ichab managed to say as he finished one prayer and started another one.
Reaching the tent, Judas was glad that the two guards outside were unconscious, probably even dead, the ground around their bodies burnt from Gabriel’s lightning earlier. Were the two guards dead? No, Gabriel had sworn that angels of Sky Jerusalem made a covenant to never kill humans. However, the two guards looked dead.
But there was something off about the two corpses. Blood spilled around their bodies, as if they were stabbed. This was not something that lightning alone could do. It had to be done by a piercing weapon. But, who could have done it?
Judas had a sick feeling in his stomach. If someone else had gotten first to Arcana and Varak... He shook his head. He hoped the two were all right.
“Wait here and stand watch,” Judas said to Ichab. He peered inside and found his two friends tied to a chair.
Relief flooded him.
Arcana looked up. She looked well, even more beautiful despite being captured. Varak, on the other hand, was a bloody mess.
“Judas!” Arcana said. “How did you—” Judas quickly moved to untie the two. “And who’s that with you?” Ichab's head peered inside the tent despite the instructions of Judas. Great, who was watching the outside?
“Hurry, you need to go,” Judas said to Arcana. “The soldiers who captured you are holding off a wave of walking corpses. You need to escape quickly.” Arcana and Varak looked at each other. Arcana quickly moved to Varak, however Varak refused to be healed at this time, as it would consume Arcana's energy.
The Lost Book of Chaos: How to Divide the World (The Secret Wars of Angels 1) Page 14