by Chuck Black
BOOKS BY CHUCK BLACK
WARS OF THE REALM TRILOGY
Cloak of the Light
THE KNIGHTS OF ARRETHTRAE
Sir Kendrick and the Castle of Bel Lione
Sir Bentley and Holbrook Court
Sir Dalton and the Shadow Heart
Lady Carliss and the Waters of Moorue
Sir Quinlan and the Swords of Valor
Sir Rowan and the Camerian Conquest
THE KINGDOM SERIES
Kingdom’s Dawn
Kingdom’s Hope
Kingdom’s Edge
Kingdom’s Call
Kingdom’s Quest
Kingdom’s Reign
RISE OF THE FALLEN
PUBLISHED BY MULTNOMAH BOOKS
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All Scripture quotations and paraphrases, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked (KJV) are taken from the King James Version.
This is a work of fiction. Apart from well-known people, events, and locales that figure into the narrative, all names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Trade Paperback ISBN 978-1-60142-504-1
eBook ISBN 978-1-60142-505-8
Copyright © 2015 by Chuck Black
Cover design and photography: Kristopher K. Orr
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Published in the United States by WaterBrook Multnomah, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House LLC, New York, a Penguin Random House Company.
MULTNOMAH and its mountain colophon are registered trademarks of Random House LLC.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Black, Chuck.
Rise of the fallen / Chuck Black. — First edition.
pages; cm. — (Wars of the realm; book 2)
ISBN 978-1-60142-504-1 (paperback) — ISBN 978-1-60142-505-8 (electronic) [1. Adventure and adventurers—Fiction. 2. Good and evil—Fiction. 3. Angels—Fiction. 4. Christian life—Fiction. 5. Blind—Fiction. 6. Single-parent families—Fiction. 7. Family life—South Carolina—Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.B528676Ris 2015
[Fic]—dc23
2014040058
v3.1
To my mother, Frances.
Thank you for being a light to so many and a quiet but mighty soldier of the King, who never departed from the Spirit and has served God with prayers night and day.
Luke 2:37
CONTENTS
Cover
Other Books by This Author
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
A Note from Chuck Black
Cast of Characters
Names of God
Time Line and Major Events
1 Validus
2 Four Friends
3 Shadows from the Light
4 Reassigned
5 The Hall of Vision
6 The Battle for Kish
7 Enemy at the Gate
8 Echoes of the Past
9 The Curse of Devolution
10 Carter and the Guardian
11 The Battle of the Purge
12 A New Enemy
13 The Second Generation
14 Nemesis
15 One Heart
16 New Mission
17 Tower of Confusion
18 Protecting the Lineage
19 Tracking Carter
20 The Stratagem of Lineage Warfare
21 Saving Carter
22 Persian Prince of War
23 The Challenge
24 The Wisdom of the Aged
25 Charge of the Droxan
26 Twelve Legions
27 Translation
28 The Silence of the Cross
29 The Rescue of Benjamin Berg
30 The Indwelling
31 Too Great a Sacrifice
32 The Lineage Legion
33 Warriors of Valor
34 When Heroes Fall
35 Into the Dragon
36 Israel Reborn
37 Twice Fallen
38 Secrets of the Fallen
Readers Guide
A NOTE FROM CHUCK BLACK
This is a speculative work of fiction not intended to confuse or diminish the truth of God’s holy and inspired Word. Where the Bible is silent, I have taken literary freedom to construct a fictional account of the angels of heaven and their association and interaction with each other and with humanity.
The intent of this book is to, through fiction, open our eyes to the reality of spiritual warfare as described in Scripture. I have made every attempt to not contradict the Bible in any way but rather use it as a foundation upon which to inspire serious contemplation about our eternity and ultimately to give honor and glory to God. The Readers Guide at the end of this book will carefully delineate the truth of God’s Word from the fiction of this story. Please take the time to read and understand it so that there is no confusion regarding solid biblical doctrine.
To further clarify, reference statements that are directly correlated to biblical truths are set in bold text.
May you be inspired by the story that follows.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Validus main character, last angel created
FRIENDS OF VALIDUS
Niturni
closest friend of Validus
Persimus
the compassionate friend
Cadriel
the beautiful friend
Ral
the awkward and funny friend
ARCHANGELS
Michael
leader of the Warrior Order
Gabriel
leader of the Messenger Order
ANGEL COMMANDERS
Jorill
general of the first generation of warrior angels
Danick
general of the second generation of warrior angels
Brandt
great leader of first- and second-generation warriors
Kelandar
primus commander of second-generation warriors
Guilden
primus commander of second-generation warriors
Malak
primus commander of second-generation warriors
Rafinni
primus commander of second-generation warriors
Porthan
primus commander of second-generation warriors
Sorak
primus commander of second-generation warriors
GUARDIANS
Tren
assigned with Validus to protect Drew Carter
Yortan
assigned to protect Anna Wiesenthal
FALLEN COMMANDERS
Apollyon
leader of the Fallen, also known as Lucifer
Tarsis
general of the first generation of Fallen warriors
Desgard
general of the second generation of Fallen warriors
Durgank
Midwest regional commander
Kushad
Fallen Prince of Shinar
Maltrinidab
Fallen Prince of Persia
Tinsalik Barob
rebel Fallen
HUMANS
Drew Carter
main character of book 1
Sydney Carlyle
main female char
acter of book 1
Benjamin Berg
friend of Drew Carter
Noah
Nimrod
King of Babel
Eber
great-great-grandson of Noah
Tamaral
maiden who speaks out against Nimrod
Daniel
José
boy in Brazil
Paulo
boy in Brazil
Luiz
boy in Brazil
NAMES OF GOD
Elohim
God
Elohim HaAv
God the Father
Ben Elohim
the Son of God
Yeshua Ben Elohim
Jesus, Son of God
Ruach Elohim
the Spirit of God
Ruach Ha-Kodesh
Holy Spirit
ORDERS OF ANGELS
Guardian*
Messenger
Carrier
Warrior
Minister
ORDERS OF DEMONS
Vexer-Possessor*
Messenger
Draeger
Warrior
Tormentor
RANKINGS OF WARRIOR ANGELS
Archangel
Michael, leader of warriors in both realms
General
leader of all earth warriors
Primus Commander
commander of a region or nation (multiple legions)
Regional Commander
commander of a city or a state (typically one or two legions)
Captain
leader of church or small city (typically one century)
Warrior
single angel
* Orders added after the Flood
TIME LINE AND MAJOR EVENTS
4010 BC
Creation of Validus
4004 BC
Creation of the physical universe, the fall of Lucifer, and the fall of man
2468 BC
Battle of Kish
2348 BC
Noah’s flood
2242 BC
Tower of Babel
1900 BC
Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
1250 BC
Freeing Israel from Egypt
1040 BC
Death angel over Israel
537 BC
Daniel’s prophecy of the coming Messiah
2 BC
Birth of Jesus
AD 33
Crucifixion of Jesus, Pentecost
AD 70
Destruction of Jerusalem and the dispersion of the Jews
AD 300
Last years of persecution of Christians and the church by Rome
AD 1776
Formation of America
AD 1943
World War II and the Holocaust
AD 1948
Formation of Israel
STAIRWAYS BETWEEN THE UPPER AND MIDDLE REALMS
Mesopotamian Stairway Middle East
Mediterranean Stairway Southern Europe
Bantuan Stairway Africa
Mongolian Stairway East Asia
Celtic Stairway Northern Europe
Palaeoan Stairway Northern North America
Malayan Stairway Southeast Asia
Andean Stairway South America
Puebloan Stairway North America
MILITARY UNIT STRENGTHS
Legion 5,000
Unit 1,000
Century 100
Company 30–60 (2–4 detachments)
Detachment 15
1
VALIDUS
Present Day
Four 5.7 mm rounds whizzed past Validus’s head as he and two of his warriors dived over a tan brick wall. The sound was unmistakable: an FN Five-Seven, the only handgun fast enough to be a substantial threat to an angel.
One of the warriors, Arn, rolled and immediately took up a position on the wall. The other, Brit, took up a position of cover near Validus. Men and women walked past on the sidewalk, oblivious to the battle raging around them.
Captain Dartana was waiting for them. He kept a firm grip on his sword but holstered his pistol to help Validus gain a knee. “We’ve got to get you out of here, Commander. This isn’t just a few more detachments of reinforcement.”
Brit nodded in agreement.
Dartana continued, “We just got word that the Prince of San Antonio was able to call in another legion of Fallen for this fight.”
Hulan, Validus’s executive officer, had insisted that he take four warriors with him to check up on the forces in Texas. “As commander of the North American continent, you can’t afford to take such risks, sir,” Hulan had insisted.
Validus had scoffed and agreed only to bring Arn and Brit. He would not enjoy admitting to his subordinate that he had been right.
“Where is Commander Gregan?” Validus asked.
Dartana’s red hair matched the fire in his eyes. “He’s pinned down with twelve warriors in the building across the street.” Dartana motioned with his head to a burger restaurant.
“Then I’m not going anywhere.” Validus drew his sword. Arn and Brit frowned, but they knew that arguing was pointless.
Dartana looked both concerned and relieved. The situation was escalating out of control quickly. “We don’t have enough men to keep the ground and extract the commander and his men. I wasn’t sure which to—”
Validus cut him short. “How many units are engaged right now, and what are their positions?”
Dartana gave Validus a full tactical analysis, using the back of the brick wall as a temporary map. Validus was impressed with the captain’s assessment and filed that information for future use. His mind began to race through the options, evaluating threats, advantages, and possible outcomes. He had only moments to respond—the Fallen were coming fast.
Validus was angry with himself for underestimating the resolve of Bavot, the Fallen’s North American continental commander, to stop their attempt to set up a pregnancy crisis counseling center for young women just two blocks away from a Planned Pregnancy clinic.
Guilt, shame, and emotional trauma were powerful weapons in Apollyon’s hands. The destroyer always robbed. He stole joy, peace, relationships, and ultimately, life. The Enemy’s destruction left traumatized and despairing souls in its wake, souls who yearned for love, healing, and forgiveness, exactly what the counseling center was hoping to offer. The battle was fierce and relentless, a battle at the heart of the spiritual war for families.
Validus should have anticipated this kind of response from the Fallen, but this was not the time for self-retribution; this was the time for action. One thing was sure: Captain Dartana was right—they couldn’t both keep the ground and try to save Commander Gregan and his men.
“Captain, move one unit to this line, one here, and the remaining three centuries here.” Validus pointed to a pawnshop and two other buildings surrounding the proposed site of the counseling center. “When they are in position, meet me one block south of the restaurant with two of your best detachments. Tell the unit commanders that as soon as they are in position, they will attack from the north to regain the ground for the counseling center.”
“But, sir, they won’t stand a chance against an entire legion.”
“All we need is a two-minute distraction. As soon as we’ve recovered Gregan, tell them to pull back.”
Dartana nodded. “A decoy?”
“Yes.”
“What of the counseling center?”
Validus couldn’t hide his disappointment, but it was as much his fault as any other’s. He looked at Dartana with fierce eyes. “Go, Captain.”
As Dartana passed the orders and prepared the men, Validus, Arn, and Brit circled away and into position behind a house just one block south of the restaurant where Gregan and his men were trapped. Validus could hear the fierce battle cries of desperate warriors and found it difficult to wait for Dartana. He wanted to rush into the battle before another warrior had fal
len.
“Keep a lookout south and east,” he told Arn and Brit. “I need to get a better view of the fight.”
Both warriors took up positions on the corners of the house as he jumped to the roof and peered over its peak to get a tactical view of what they would soon be facing. He estimated over three hundred Fallen were attacking Gregan. The angels were surrounded and fighting for their lives with no access to retreat.
“Come on, Dartana, hurry!” he whispered.
Two long minutes later, Dartana arrived with thirty capable warriors. Validus jumped down to talk to them. The solid faces of the warriors assured him that Dartana had chosen well.
“Get ready, men; this won’t be easy. We’ll have two minutes to extract Commander Gregan and his men. I want suppressing fire until we get within thirty yards, then swords until we can break open a line for our warriors to escape. Keep a tight cover.”
Ten seconds passed, and then the sound of an all-out war erupted in gunfire and clashing swords at the counseling center just to the north of them, as twenty-three hundred warriors charged Bavot’s legion of nearly five thousand Fallen.
Dartana looked to Validus, but he held up his hand, holding them in position. Validus watched as a third of the Fallen attacking Gregan left to reinforce the battle to the north.
“Now!” Validus ordered.
Thirty-four powerful vessels of Elohim sprinted across four lanes of traffic, using cars and buses as temporary cover in their assault. At first the Fallen didn’t realize what was happening because the sound of the larger battle to the north swallowed the sound of their attack. That changed when over forty Fallen warriors collapsed under gunfire and dissolved into a green vapor that fell into the heart of the earth. By the time the Fallen could react, Validus and his men were on them with swords flashing in the humid heat of a Texan spring day.