Warring Angel

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Warring Angel Page 21

by Samantha L. Strong


  “Excuse me,” I said, but over the din of the squads, no one acknowledged me. “Excuse me!”

  When an Attendant finally looked up, his eyes went wide. “You must get to the War Room immediately! They’re looking for you. Oh, I’m so glad you’ve come.” He wrote something in his book.

  Zaponsla and I rushed to the vertical corridor. When we arrived, the War Room was abuzz with activity, squad leaders briefing their groups, Nephilim packed wing-to-wing. Heppeliam, Parsiel, and Umiet stood on the stage at the front of the room. Although it wasn’t proper, I jumped over the crowd and flew to the front, Zaponsla on my heels.

  “Where have you been?” snarled Parsiel.

  “It hardly matters,” said Heppeliam. “She’s here now.”

  The knowledge that an underground movement of lower ranked angels were pledging their loyalty to me cast their respect in a new light. Strangely enough, I was more worried than I’d been before. If they trusted me because they thought I was capable, that was one thing. If they trusted me to keep tenuous peace with their underlings during this time of high tension, that was an entirely different thing.

  I can’t fail. I just can’t.

  Another boom shook the ground. This time we were far enough into the building that I didn’t fall, but I grabbed the table to steady myself.

  “Asorat appears to have accelerated his timetable,” said Heppeliam.

  “As I said he would,” replied Parsiel.

  “Yes, yes.” Heppeliam waved a hand. “They still don’t know the details of Operation Neptune, but they realize their power will be diminished after our attack today, one way or another. Even if our invasion fails, confidence in Adolf’s government will falter.”

  “So Asorat is invading Heaven?” I asked.

  “Indeed. Besides sending an army against us, he appears to be attacking Heaven’s very foundations.”

  Serinh flew over the crowd, followed by Gamsior and Rehniah. When my former Archangel landed next to us, a sudden urge to embrace her and wish her the best seized me. Even if she’d been dour, she’d always been forthcoming with where I stood, something sorely lacking in this time and place. Instead of making a fool of myself, I said, “Good day. What news do you bring?”

  I expected Gamsior, as the Guardian Seraph, to answer, but Rehniah spoke. “The German Guardians have muddled their Wards as best as they can. Adolf’s advisers still don’t know where and when the attack will occur. They’re attempting to formulate a plan, but we’re keeping them from it for as long as possible.”

  Gamsior nodded.

  “We seem to be as prepared as we can be on Earth,” said Heppeliam. “But what about the protection spell, Serinh?”

  “The salt has been sprinkled throughout Heaven. We need to dispatch the squads to the Nexus right away.”

  For the protection spell, Serinh and the Tenders had created a way to crystallize angel water, which we were calling salt as an homage to the pagan ritual on which it was based. Bit by bit, they’d brought it to Vyncanus to have the Vycanums bless it. They’d sprinkled it throughout Heaven, which would dull Asorat’s power when he invaded, but as an additional safeguard, we were creating a protective ring around the Nexus.

  “All right,” Heppeliam said. “That’s the two squads waiting in the entryway? Send them off to the Nexus in four groups. Have them start at each corner. Make the barrier at least a half pace wide. Use up the rest of our supply. This is it.”

  He was repeating things we all knew, but after all this preparation, now was the time for us to find out if our plans really worked. We wouldn’t get a second chance. Our collective worry fairly crackled across the stage.

  “Parsiel, Serinh, go to the Nexus and get those crystals down.” Heppeliam, though, seemed unflappable. “Rehniah, Gamsior, return to Germany and continue to monitor Adolf and his staff. Zaponsla, Umiet, go find your brigades and take them to Normandy. Enael, stay here and monitor the situation. I’ll rally the rest of the Nephil Archangels and get to France with the Allied troops. We’re not going to let him—”

  A crash, more violent than any of the others, shook the room, setting off surprised cries through the gathered Nephilim. I caught myself against Zaponsla, and the others splayed wings and hung onto one another.

  A voice boomed inside my head, dark and full of malice. “Good day, citizens of Heaven.”

  Asorat.

  “We would like to inform you that you are under attack. Please do not attempt to fight back against us, for anyone who does so will be subject to dire consequences once we succeed in transferring the power from the Council of Seraphim to ourselves.”

  The others winced, and Zaponsla clamped her hands over her ears. “I can’t shut it out. It’s in my head!”

  “The power he gathered,” I murmured. “He’s channeling it to speak to all of us.”

  “Please stay where you are,” he continued. “You will not be harmed if you cooperate. We will have mercy on anyone who surrenders now.”

  A growl of outrage rippled through the Nephilim. “Better not!” shouted one.

  “May the Source that made you comfort and aid you. Peace and love to you,” Asorat finished.

  “The angelic greeting, Asorat? Really?” Zaponsla’s look of disgust likely mirrored the one on my face.

  “Right,” Heppeliam said. “He’s here. Now to repel him.”

  “Let’s go,” added Parsiel.

  Wings beat, our leaders scattered, and the dozens of squads disappeared from the room.

  I stared down at the plans on the table. I was to provide communications between the different groups and oversee a specially selected squad of Nephilim who were waiting below the dais. Whenever squads needed to be deployed to a battlefront, I would authorize it, and they would carry out my orders.

  What was I thinking? What do I know about defeating a demon? I’d been so confident before, but now, faced with the reality of a darkened sky and demons about to invade Heaven, I was frightened. I had blue wings, and no guidance from the Source anymore.

  Eyes closed, I let the fear wash over me, feeling it and letting it settle.

  Finally, it faded. I opened my eyes and squared my shoulders. The cavernous War Room was empty but for the Nephilim I was responsible for. Cobalt eyes were all looking at me expectantly.

  All right, Enael. Time to show them what a Cornerstone is.

  CHAPTER 38

  I weighed my options. Battle-trained Keepers were stationed at all key locations, and the maps hung on the wall, with dots appearing and moving, which would tell me how the fights were proceeding. I should stay inside, keep myself safe, and scribble messages into the blue-bound Book lying on the table in front of me.

  But I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t stand here, picking at my feathers, and waiting in the silence. I would go see what was happening at the edges of Heaven, where the maps told me a battle had been joined.

  “Stay here,” I told my squad. “Watch for anything out of the ordinary. If something goes awry, send for Parsiel.”

  One was bold enough to speak. “Are you sure that’s a good idea, Cornerstone?”

  “No, but I’m going anyway.”

  The clouds had thickened even more. The orbs were glowing faintly as a twilight-like pall had fallen over Heaven. Purple lightning snaked through a cloud and thunder cracked. I leapt into the air, avoiding the shaking boom, and flew high into the sky.

  Platoons were lined up, six rows high and ten rows deep, at each of the eight major directions—north, northwest, west, and so on. To the east, past the fifth circle where the humans lived and worked, an army of demons marched toward us, as the maps had shown. I started that way.

  The front line of the east formation had engaged the army. Tridents flashed and demons shrieked but our force held them off.

  I arrived at the shoulder of the Archangel in charge, unable to remember his name. He wore dreadlocks and a long, cobalt scarf wrapped around them. “Good day, Enael,” he said.

  Does call
ing me by my name mean he doesn’t support my position as Cornerstone? Now I was second-guessing everyone. “Have we evacuated the humans in the area?”

  “Not yet,” he said. “They’ve fallen back, but we were awaiting further instructions.”

  “Your group is too busy to aid.” Just like my squad leader used to speak to me when I was an underling, I reached out to speak into the minds of my Nephilim back in the War Room. “Squad, send a platoon to the fifth circle, east side. Evacuate humans in this quadrant.”

  In the distance, shouts erupted. Asorat’s troops had flown into the air, attempting to get over the northern barricade. The Nephilim were repelling them, but the humans wouldn’t be safe in their houses any longer.

  “Add northern quadrant, as well. Move them to the evacuation area in the Praetorium.” The Foresight Rooms had been converted to allow families to crowd in while we fought. We had a second evacuation plan to move everyone out of Heaven to a remote location on Earth if Asorat did the unthinkable and successfully invaded Heaven. I was hoping it wouldn’t come to that, though.

  “Acknowledged,” came the reply.

  In the distance, a swarm of cobalt wings erupted from the Praetorium.

  That section was under control.

  I flew to the Nexus. As always, clouds circled the beam of light, but this time, movement above caught my eye—both in the clouds and in my awareness. Small wisps danced and whirled. Why haven’t I noticed this before?

  Standing several paces from the birthing bowl, Serinh and Parsiel were in the midst of a lively discussion, while four groups of Nephilim poured salt around the outer edges of the Nexus. A huge stack of salt bags sat next to the beam.

  “They’re coming!” he shouted. “We need to move faster.”

  “Calm yourself.” Serinh wore her stern face, which I’d seen frequently when she was around Parsiel. If we weren’t under attack, I might have found it amusing. “Shouting will only cause them to make mistakes. There can be no break in the barrier.”

  “We should have started earlier!”

  “You know as well as I that we would have needed to redo it. We very well couldn’t have told all of Heaven to stay out of the Nexus. They would have scattered our precious crystals all around.”

  “We could have evacuated early, started last week.”

  “We didn’t know…”

  Neither had acknowledged my approach yet, but they didn’t seem overly upset, only idly expending energy as we awaited the brunt of the attack. The Nephilim were working at a slow but steady pace, and the preparations seemed to be going as planned.

  Feeling useless, I flew to the Sanctuary.

  Chana was still asleep. Her face was relaxed and her emotions were at peace. An overwhelming sense of calm settled over me. I traced a finger over her nose, her lips, an eyebrow.

  Her wings were now white, with an orange feather here and there. I smoothed my hand over them, feeling their softness. Orange, an odd color.

  I plucked one, inspecting it. As I watched, it darkened to the carnelian of the Engineers, then lightened, then took on a silvery sheen.

  “I’m going to see how Vycanus fares,” I said to Chana’s sleeping form. “Perhaps they need my help. You’re all right here by yourself.”

  As I envisioned the sunny mountainside and the clear blue waters of the village of Vycanus, I couldn’t stop thinking about the Aleph. What was the connection between it and Chana? If she ever woke, she’d be able to tell us whatever she’d already tried to, but until then, I could only worry and wait. Perhaps Vycanus will help me get my mind off these things I can’t control.

  The gray-walled Comfort Ward turned watery and melded into chaos.

  Figures darted through the air, clashing and falling apart against the backdrop of a stormy sky. The same purple lightning sliced open the clouds before disappearing. A series of booms shook the ground, one after another after another, before fading away.

  In the sky, the Nephilim fought against demons straining to enter the village below. As soon as one of the black-winged creatures plunged toward the ground, it was swept up and away with a stabbing trident.

  But it looked like we were losing.

  I flew down the mountainside, streaking close to the trees.

  “Watch out!” shouted a voice from above.

  A demon fell and I swerved to avoid it. It thudded onto the ground, picked itself up, clutched its hand to a wound oozing black blood, and disappeared—likely back to Hell to regroup.

  “Where’s Talin?” I said to the Nephil who’d just warned me. Zaponsla’s former partner continued as the Archangel responsible for Vycanus. He was supposed to stay here, to oversee protecting the villagers.

  “He’s in the Temple!” She parried a demon’s sword thrust.

  Demonic cackling erupted as I flew over the village.

  Why didn’t anyone tell me that this was happening? If Talin had sent word, one of my squad would have informed me immediately. This attack must have started soon after Asorat’s announcement, plenty of time to send for help.

  Because I hadn’t come through the clearing, I wasn’t embodied. I flew through the walls of the Temple to alight on the floor next to Talin, who was sitting in the lotus position in the middle of a group of a dozen praying Vycanums. I didn’t see energy leading through his wings, and his silver feathers were dull.

  “What’s going on?”

  The clang of weapons from outside marred the peaceful whispers of the chanting supplicants.

  Talin opened his eyes and gazed up at me, bleary-eyed. “Cornerstone. The Source’s blessings on your recent increase in responsibilities.”

  “Yes, yes,” I said. “Thank you.”

  “Good of you to join us. We fare well.”

  Thunder shook the room again.

  “It doesn’t look like it to me,” I said. “Your village is under attack.”

  “Ah, yes,” he answered. “Please be so kind as to send in reinforcements.”

  “Did you send word? I didn’t receive a message.”

  “Oh, that.” His index finger didn’t quite reach his thumb, and his head bobbed toward his chest. “Perhaps I forgot.”

  Some of the villagers were glancing up at him, but none of them could see me. One said to Talin, “Do you need assistance?”

  “No, no,” he said. “Fine. I’m… fine…” He slid to the side and fell into a heap on the floor.

  “Talin?” I brushed his hair from his face and peered into his eyes, but he didn’t respond. “Talin!”

  The villagers stopped praying. “What do we do?” “I’ve never seen an angel faint before.” “Should we send for someone?”

  I reached out speak into the minds of the squad leaders in the vicinity. “Come quickly! We need help! Talin is in trouble!”

  When I focused on him, I could tell his life spark was still strong, but he was falling into the same trance that had overtaken Zaponsla when we’d been in the death camp.

  A squad leader, also invisible to the humans, landed next to me. “What do you need?”

  “The Vycanums have no idea what’s happening outside, do they?”

  “Well, ah… Archangel Talin brought them in here after assuring the villagers that the lightning was nothing to be concerned about. We thought he would inform them about the demons, but…”

  “There are only a dozen of them. We need to get more in here. And we need reinforcements. Where’s your Keeper?” The maps in the War Room should have told my squad that something was amiss.

  “Talin sent her off hours ago.”

  “Where did he send her? Never mind.” I once again reached out to my squad. “This is Enael. We need four platoons and four more Keepers at Vycanus immediately.”

  “Affirmative.”

  I turned to the squad leader who had responded to my call for help. “You’re in charge until the new Archangel arrives. Have a pair take Talin to the Sanctuary and then have them search for the missing Keeper.”

  “Yes
, Cornerstone.”

  “Vycanus is the stronghold of our power on Heaven and Earth, and right now, Heaven is under attack, too. We can’t afford for all the power we’ve built up to fail!”

  The dozen supplicants were supposed to be praying for our success, but they were now milling around, confused.

  “I won’t fail you, Cornerstone.” He bowed low to me and then turned away to speak to his Nephilim. “Pair One, report to the Temple.”

  “You’ll do well. The new Archangel will be here soon.”

  His smile didn’t reach his eyes.

  I flew to the clearing to inform the Matron and Patron of the supernatural battle occurring over their sky.

  When the older couple arrived, I asked, “Do you recognize me?” I’d met them during our preparations, but Talin’s strange trance worried me.

  They bowed their heads. “You’re Enael, our Cornerstone.”

  “Yes, good. Have everyone abandon their daily duties. Vycanus is under demonic attack, and we need every person in the village to pray that our forces hold. Set a small group to pray for the ability to see into the sky, so you know where to fortify your prayers. Then set the rest of the villagers to pray for the Nephil to defeat this attack. Continue praying for the strength of your village until I return. Don’t stop for anything.”

  “But there’s no room in the Temple for all our people,” said the Matron.

  “Then ask them to pray in their huts! I don’t care how it gets done—just do it! Go, now!”

  As they hobbled away, I prepared to fade back into Heaven. The Matron leaned over on her cane to murmur to the Patron, “Why are her wings that color? What rank is she?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t know. But she is the Cornerstone. We must obey without question.”

  “Indeed.”

  They quickened their pace.

  What are they talking about? I grabbed my wing and pulled it forward. The feathers were a strange blue-brown I’d never seen before—the brown too light to be Reaper, the blue too muddy to be Nephil.

 

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