The vision granted to Ethan was a gift from his parents, inspiring him to take crucial action. He needed no further prompting and immediately left for the other side of Kingdom, passing carefully underneath his brothers, under cover of foliage, trees, buildings or whatever else was available, so as to avoid detection by Michael. Having passed them by, he ascended and flew at top speed, due to the urgency of the situation. Once he had passed the first third of the Kingdom, Ethan landed and began asking after the location of the gathering, but to no avail. It appeared that Lucifer had not extended the invitation that far north. Therefore he ascended once again and flew further south until he had passed the midpoint of the Kingdom, before landing a second time.
Upon doing so, Ethan was stunned to find the place completely deserted. It appeared that everyone in that location had accepted the invitation.
Ethan was just about to take off once more when he saw a gathering of spirits flying in his direction. Instinctively, he took cover in a nearby abode.
As Ethan remained hidden, he could hear clearly what was being said by the small group who had just landed.
'Mathan, you idiot, I thought you said you saw somebody.'
'I did see someone, I swear it colonel.'
'Well, where is he or she now you numbskull!' screamed his commander.
At merely the sound of the title 'colonel' Ethan began to shake, fearing that this might be some of the members of his former division.
'Alright men,’ started the colonel sarcastically ‘for the benefit of Private Mathan we'll have a quick look around.'
'Thank you, Sir,' said the private, ignoring the sarcasm of his commander, as he knew that the alternative could be far worse.
'Don't thank me, private. If Lucifer asks why we have only found ten additional spirits to attend his gathering, then I'll be referring him to you, so you had better pray that the other divisions haven't found more.'
Despite his fear, Ethan was receiving a gentle prompting that he should reveal himself to these members of Lucifer's army. This prompting however, was causing him huge internal conflict as his faith battled against his fear. The prompting was from his parents, as that was the fastest way for him to obtain intelligence as to the location of the gathering. His fears were of his past. He knew that Lucifer's divisions were brutal and inhumane. He also knew that fourth division would not only recognise him, but that they would have a special hatred for him.
He stood there shaking a little longer, until he could hear that Lucifer's men were about to depart. Knowing that it was now or never he exited the abode quietly and then pretended as though he had just landed. Having done so, he was relieved to find that he knew none of the men.
'Excuse me, sirs,' Ethan began before being interrupted by private Mathan.
'I told you, colonel, I told you I saw someone!' he said excitedly.
'No you didn't, private, this fellow just landed, didn't you?'
'Yes sir, I only landed very recently' said Ethan truthfully but with a desire to maintain the illusion that he had not been hiding.
'What is your name?' asked the colonel gruffly, as the private eyed him suspiciously, convinced that the fellow had been there longer than he had made out.
'It is Ethaniel,' said Ethan, providing the longer version of his name in the attempt to maintain his cover. He was aware that his name may have been circulated once he had departed the fourth division training grounds.
'What are you doing here?' asked the colonel.
'I'm trying to find out the location of the gathering at which Caleb will be speaking. I don’t suppose you know it do you?'
'Oh, you are? Well you've left your run very late, proceedings are due to commence before long. If you come now we'll get you there on time, come along,' said the colonel assertively.
That was the last thing Ethan wanted, to be dragged all the way to Lucifer. For one, it would not allow him to alert Michael as to the coordinates of the gathering, and secondly, it would almost certainly spell his end.
He had to think quickly and he did.
'I would sir, but the reason I'm already late is because I have some associates, quite some distance from here, who would also like to know the location of the meeting.'
'Ah very good, how many associates do you have?' asked the colonel, desperately hoping that this late discovery may bolster what had been very meagre pickings thus far.
Before they had left on this mission, Lucifer had promised that the division that was able to secure the most last-minute attendees to the meeting would be richly rewarded. Of course, reading between the lines, this meant that the division that yielded the least fruit would be severely punished. The colonel of fifth division had learnt that Lucifer's punishments were to be feared, more than his rewards anticipated. So, while a reward would have been appreciated, averting disaster was his main priority. Like Sturd, this colonel feared losing his office, and all officers were now very much on notice.
The punishment of Sturd was one thing, but that wasn't altogether surprising, considering the mess that he had made. What had been more unsettling, to all of those in authority within Lucifer's army, was that all of the officers in fourth division had been demoted not long after having been appointed to their offices. The generals had selected the officers of fourth division, and Lucifer had demoted them soon afterward, apparently without reason. It was for this reason that the colonel of fifth division was desperate for a better yield than the ten paltry spirits they had located thus far.
He would have been happy lying about the numbers his division had found, but Lucifer had given each of the divisions a supply of coloured tokens to be distributed to each spirit located last minute and that was to be surrendered at the meeting in order to claim a prize. For first division the tokens were green, for second division yellow, third division's were blue, fourth division red, as a macabre representation of the future Lucifer intended for each soul within that division. Fifth division had been appointed the colour purple and sixth division orange.
The promise of a prize not only provided an incentive to those wondering whether or not they should attend, it also allowed Lucifer to keep track of the performance of each of his divisions. Lucifer had decided to take a far keener interest in his divisions, ever since fourth division had threatened to attack him. Waiting to demote the fourth division leaders until after they had been called was entirely intentional, and so too were his subsequent strategies to keep each of the divisions strictly accountable, and completely fearful of him. Lucifer's paranoia therefore, was an ingredient in the absence of judgement that would follow.
'There are thousands, sir,' said Ethan, reasoning that the severity of the situation warranted the use of a strategy.
'Thousands, you say?' said the colonel, feeling both excited and relieved at the same time.
'Hey colonel, what if he's a spy?' piped up Private Mathan, sensing that something wasn't right.
'He's right, colonel,' piped up another private who, like Private Mathan, was slightly more intelligent than the imbeciles who had been called to preside over them.
The major of the division shared the colonel's fear of failure, and consequently the concerns of the privates were quickly quashed and squashed in a way that can only be achieved by brutes.
Having been given the location of the meeting, Ethan, who was horrified to discover how far west the gathering was to occur, was given his leave to depart in search of his friends. Just as he was about to launch into the air with the intention of returning with maximum speed to Michael, he heard the coarse voice of the major.
'Hey colonel, what about the tokens? If he doesn't have tokens then we won't get the credit,' said the major, enlightening his commanding officer to an oversight.
'Oh yeah, wait on there!' yelled the colonel urgently.
Ethan thought of taking off, pretending not to hear, but this was a delicate situation and such a course may only arouse their suspicions more.
'Yes sir,' said Ethan, trying t
o remain calm as he turned back around to face the colonel and his men.
'Here is a bag of tokens that you have to promise to give to each of your friends who attend the gathering. If they hand them in, then each will receive a prize.'
'Oh, thank you very much, sir,' said Ethan, sounding appreciative.
'I still don't trust him,' mumbled Private Mathan.
'Oh shut your mouth private, before we shut it for you!' screamed the colonel, watching Mathan cower under the weight of the threat, which was exactly what he was seeking.
'Thank you again, sir,' said Ethan, taking the bag and launching into the air, this time without anything to prevent him.
He flew quickly at first, but not too quickly, so as not to arouse the suspicion of fifth division, should he still be in their sight. Once he was confident that he was well out of sight, he dropped the bag of tokens, which was slowing him slightly, and accelerated at top speed back towards Michael. Never before had he flown more quickly, and ultimately he located the defensive line that had continued its steady move south.
As he approached the line, he found himself trailed by two scouts who had seen him and were concerned that he may be a spy of Lucifer's. He didn't slow however, as he had neither the inclination nor the time to explain himself twice. He travelled along the line at maximum speed, trailed by his followers, until he located Michael.
When he found him he unloaded at frantic pace.
'Michael, the gathering is being held nine thousand kilometres northwest of Lucifer's abode, so you must move the line west!'
Just as he said this, the two scouts who had been pursuing him arrived and one asked 'Who is this, and can we trust him?'
Michael paused a moment and looked at Ethan, before responding, 'Yes we can.'
‘Men, move west now!' Michael commanded, projecting his voice such that every man heard and felt his direction and reacted immediately.
With his forces repositioned, and the scouts also briefed of the change, a disaster was averted.
74 scouts
Johan was one of those scouts in front of the line, his partner being Domenous. It was this pair that spotted Caleb from their elevated position, and when they did so, they did an about-face to follow him back towards Michael’s forces. As they did their best to keep pace, they saw Caleb dive and swerve between structures. Then they saw Caleb’s leg get swiped by an attacker, slowing him down just enough to have eight of his pursuers ready to pounce.
As the eight poised to attack, Johan was about to engage when Domenous stopped him, pointing to Michael’s army which had just come into view. Johan, still ready to engage, saw Caleb pull away just a little. With some manoeuvring he pulled away just a little more. Johan relaxed slightly at this, noting that Caleb was now rapidly approaching those that would save him. Both Johan and Domenous moved lower, no longer concerned that they might be seen. If Caleb’s attackers hadn’t noticed the defensive line by now they certainly wouldn’t notice two spirits traveling a distance above them.
Seeing Caleb approaching them, trailed by the enemy, Michael commanded his men to compress around the area where Caleb was likely to arrive, thus reducing the distance between each man to a metre. By the time Caleb arrived at the line of protection, the scouts were a mere twenty feet above him and they quickly descended to take a position at either side of him once Caleb had passed through the front line. This was done to reinforce his protection, just in case some of the pursuers dared to attempt breaking through. They need not have concerned themselves because even those that pursued Caleb to within just metres of the barricade, dared not cross it.
We have seen the intense standoff that ensued, and the ultimate withdrawal of Lucifer and his divisions. This preceded an immense cheer from Michael’s forces, followed by great celebration, but it was nothing to compare with the emotions that were felt when Tara and Caleb were reunited just moments later.
Tara wept openly. Her tender spirit tears were a combination of both relief and joy. Caleb recovered rapidly from the stress of his pursuit and comforted the only one who appeared to be there at that moment. He was surrounded by cheering spirits but his ears were deaf to everything but the sound of her voice, and his eyes were blind to all but her sweet appearance. Her every movement froze, as if in slow motion, and he counted and caught her every tear, promising himself that he would never cause them to fall like that again.
75 decline
As a consequence of Caleb’s actions, Lucifer discovered that he had not only failed to attract any new support but that he had also lost a significant number of the seven billion spirits that he counted among his faithful.
Jezebel and Ham did not dare to say ‘I told you so’. Their leader was already bordering on insane without pushing him even further over the edge.
After three days brooding in his abode, Lucifer emerged with new resolve and immediately called for his generals, addressing them on an urgent matter of business.
‘General Anas and General Silick, we need to move quickly.’
‘Certainly Lucifer, what would you have us do?’ replied Anas, relieved to find his leader in a buoyant state.
‘We need another twelve divisions within a week.’
‘Impossible, we cannot possibly do it!’ cried Silick in the type of high pitched voice one might use if they were afraid of objecting to the command of one in authority, but felt forced to do so.
‘Why?’ yelled Lucifer.
Although he had appeared upbeat, he was certainly not in the frame of mind to be told no.
‘We need two weeks of speed and agility training before the practice attacks can begin,’ responded Anas very timidly.
‘Cut back the speed and agility training to three days and then concentrate on the attacks. The attacks are clearly the most important part,’ commanded their leader with something less than zero patience.
‘The trouble we have Lucifer, is that it takes two weeks to prepare the division victim so that he is willing to endure the attacks voluntarily. For us to prepare twelve victims in just a few days is impossible,’ said Silick, knowing that the only thing worse than objecting at this moment would be not objecting and then failing to achieve the impossible task that Lucifer required of them.
Silick closed his eyes, waiting for an explosion that never came. When he dared to open them he found that, instead of fury, his leader had a sinister look upon his face. A look far more frightening than the explosion would have been. Desperately, he hoped that whatever his master was thinking about did not involve him.
Silick knew that there was only one thing that brought that much enjoyment to Lucifer’s face, and he certainly didn’t want to be the subject of it.
When Lucifer spoke he did so quietly.
‘Don’t worry about preparing victims, just do a week of speed and agility training with the divisions and I’ll have a victim ready. We will hold a court case, as we did with Sturd, and following the guilty verdict, all twelve divisions will attack.’
‘Who will you use for such a role, Lucifer?’ asked Anas, more than a little intrigued.
‘I already have a deserving spirit in mind. One who has wronged us greatly and must be punished,’ said Lucifer, a vicious look engrained upon his face.
‘Do you think it would be possible to find two such victims, Lucifer? It would be ideal if our current divisions could give the new units a demonstration just prior to their attack,’ said Silick, a thirsty look taking shape upon his face also.
‘I’m absolutely certain that I could find a second offender,’ said the psychopath.
Lucifer left his generals content in the knowledge that they had both accepted his authority and had resolved to complete the task that he required.
76 slander
Jezebel was disgusted with Lucifer and psychotic in her hatred towards Caleb. For that matter she hated every spirit stupid enough to support her parents' plan.
She, like Lucifer, would have taken the greatest of pleasure in simply forcing all sp
irits to follow them, if it was within her power. She was tired of playing by the rules of the Kingdom. This precious principle of agency was painful. Other than in cases where the principle protected her individual freedoms, she felt it entirely unnecessary. She was blind to the cankering of her soul, and also failed to join the dots between her misery and her failure to live according to the principles of happiness that had been established within the Kingdom. She rejected these principles venomously and venomous she had become.
In this moment of anger she struck upon a brilliant strategy that, of course, operated entirely outside of the laws and principles that could have brought her peace and growth. Jezebel was second only to Lucifer in the extent to which her integrity had disintegrated, and it was upon her unhealthy disregard for this principle that her strategy was built. As she reeled in anger, contemplating Caleb and the other spirits that so annoyingly clung to the original plan, her mind turned to those of her own sex. She thought of Tara and Sarah and most of all she thought of Rachel, that virginal beacon of light for the old order. Oh how she hated her. She sat and obsessed about finding just one shred of indecency or evil about her so that she could shout it from the rooftops.
As she thought upon this, the anger on her face, all of a sudden, turned into a sly smile. At just that moment it had occurred to her that she didn’t necessarily need to discover wickedness in Rachel in order to shout it from the rooftops. With this thought in mind she joyously left her abode, and that same hour, she called an emergency meeting of the female inner circle.
An hour later nineteen hundred of the least feminine of female spirits gathered at the request of their leader. They constituted the maximum number of Jezebel’s inner circle that could be gathered at such short notice.
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