Standing to his feet, he added a dark green shirt with his jeans and walked to the door barefoot. He paused as his hand touched the cold metal of his room’s doorknob. Voices could be heard on the opposite side of the steel door. Alan paused for the briefest moment trying to discern who the voices belonged to and what they were saying. With no answers after a few seconds of waiting, Alan gripped the handle and turned the knob.
There were many more than two voices. The sight of an army of men and women met his eyes as he stood gawking in his doorway. People he didn’t know walked up and down the warehouse halls. They talked excitedly as they entered and exited the kitchen, ran towards the training room and carried equipment in from the front entrance.
Alan walked down the hall in a daze. People rushed around him all eager to be at a certain location at a certain time. Some made eye contact, a few even nodded in his direction; still no one stopped and offered an explanation.
Alan searched the multitude of faces for someone familiar. His eyes scanned all around him yet there was no sign of Danielle, Angelica or Michael. Just when Alan was planning to stop the next stranger and ask them what was going on, he heard a familiar voice. It was coming from the open training room door. It was Michael.
Chapter 45
“No, it’s too dangerous,” Michael said shaking his head. “I can’t spare anyone else, not now. Nephilim and Angels from across the globe are scouring the world for Ardat and the location where she is forging her weapons. Everyone who is not involved in that search is meeting here. We need a plan and we need to prepare.”
“I totally agree, sir,” a strong male voice said from the front of the assembled group, “but when we do find them we will be at a great disadvantage. Not only will their Nephilim outnumber us nearly two to one, but the weapons they will possess are something not even Angels can be wounded with and survive.”
Michael rubbed the back of his neck with his right hand as more voices added to the first. What bothered Michael was that he knew they were right. What bothered him the most was the knowledge that these men and women would follow him into battle regardless of the odds. They were only sharing their opinion now. No matter what, they would follow him. The burden of the lives of so many weighed heavy on his shoulders. The reminder of the lives he had already lost felt heavier. “The knowledge of celestial weaponry is lost to us. Those who do guard the remaining weapons will not waiver in their allegiance. Even if we tried to take them by force, the ancient ones would destroy us. They serve only the Creator now and have for centuries since the war. Besides, who would go? You?” Michael pointed to one of the speakers, “You?” he pointed to another.
The room quieted. Despite the subject being discussed, Michael’s mind turned to those he lost, Jacob and Arther. Good men, great Nephilim, he had known for years. As if he were witnessing someone else’s thoughts, without any control over his own ideas, Michael pictured Ardat. The Angel he once loved, the woman who had been corrupted by the Usurper himself. Now she had done this twice. First siding with the rebellion in Heaven and now mounting a plan that could possibly be the end of the world as they knew it. She was so far from the woman he once knew and loved. The thought of someone changing so drastically sent a shiver down his spine.
“I’ll go.”
The voice was firm and steady. Surprised, Michael turned his attention to Alan Price who stood in the doorway. Michael’s eyes took in the young man with one glance. He smiled as he saw the newest Nephilim’s determined face, along with his shoeless feet.
Alan must have seen the look in regards to his lack of footwear because he added to his previous statement. “I’ll probably need some shoes first and someone to explain to me how I got here, but I’ll go. I’m not going to be quiet or helpless anymore. I’m ready now.”
Chapter 46
Alan’s hands were sweating, as dozens of eyes were all directed his way. Volunteering to go and do something that he didn’t even understand terrified him. Still, what terrified him even more was the thought of not doing anything. He had done nothing long enough. If there was a chance to atone for his past life, to bring retribution to those who had murdered his friends and mentors he was going to take it.
“Alan, do you know what you are saying?” Michael asked.
Alan padded into the room. He could feel the blood rush to his face as his nervousness at being in front of so many people heightened. “I know that there is a chance to even the scales somehow in the war that is about to happen. I know that I owe it to myself and to those who died to try. I know that I am done being safe and unsure. I’m done doing nothing and reacting to situations. I know that I’m here for a reason.”
Alan’s mouth was dry. He licked his lips as his heart beat out of his chest. He really had no idea what he was getting himself into.
“I can show him the way,” Danielle said as she pushed her way to the front of the Nephilim crowed. “I can go with him. If it’s only the two of us and we fail then you won’t be sacrificing much manpower.”
Alan looked over to Danielle who stood with arms crossed and a set jaw.
“I will not order you to go to them,” Michael said looking at Alan and Danielle in turn. “However, if you volunteer for this journey then I can point you in the right direction.”
“I volunteer,” Alan heard himself say more than he consciously chose to speak the words.
“Me too,” Danielle said, “for Jacob and Arther.”
“For Jacob and Arther,” Alan repeated in a whisper.
The room grew silent once more. Alan looked to Michael as the Archangel weighed the proposal. Michael walked to Alan and placed a hand on his shoulder. “You are everything I knew you would be, Alan Price. You’re everything I knew you could be.” Michael looked over at Danielle, “You too, Danielle. If both of you are volunteering to go, I won’t stop you. This is your path. I’ll give you everything you need for your trip and all the information we have on the Death Angels. God be with you.”
Alan shook his head not sure he had heard correctly. “I’m sorry; did you say ‘Death Angels’?”
Michael nodded with a very serious unlike-Michael expression, “That’s right. You’ll need to find them first and then see if you can convince them to hand over the weapons they have been instructed to guard for the remainder of eternity.”
Chapter 47
Alan sat in the co-pilot seat next to Danielle. The small airship was a piece of modern technology even the government would be jealous to get their hands on. More buttons and gadgets lined the dashboard than Alan had guesses to what tasks they performed. The rest of the place was empty now except for the two of them. Alan looked out into the dark clouded sky and wondered not for the first time if his fate was to die that night. Danielle hit another pocket of wind as the small Organization aircraft shuddered against the cold air.
“Thanks for volunteering to come with me,” he said.
Danielle took her eyes off the control panel and pushed her glasses further up her nose. “Of course, I couldn’t let you stand there barefoot in front of everyone without saying something.”
Alan chuckled. “I should probably thank you for saving me after Ardat used my body as a human missile, too.”
Danielle shrugged. “I didn’t do much. Your…wings acted like floatation devices. You were easy to find the way their bright blue color contrasted against the dark water. After that, all I had to do was hoist you in and heal you. Your body was immune to the harm. My guess is you just lost consciousness when the cold water hit you.”
Alan thought back to the wings that he wondered if he had imagined. Before he allowed himself to ask about them, he wanted to know more about Angelica’s health and where they were going. Alan knew it was time to ask the question to which he so desperately wanted a positive answer. “Is Angelica going to make it?”
Danielle sighed with a heavy breath that raised and lowered her shoulders as she exhaled, “Yeah, she’s going to make a full recovery. There is only so mu
ch I can do. When the damage is that bad the body still needs time to heal itself. She should be up and around in a few days.”
Alan felt only slightly relieved as he prepared to ask his next question, “And my wings. I mean you pretty much confirmed it. I do have wings—don’t I?”
Danielle raised here eyebrows, “Yeah, you do. I’ve never seen anything like it. I guess if Infinity could copy his entire body and consciousness, we shouldn’t be too surprised that you can grow wings. I’ve just never seen a Nephilim with that ability and, trust me, I’ve seen some pretty crazy stuff.”
Alan’s interest piqued despite their current situation. “Really? Crazy abilities like what?”
Danielle’s eyes remained fixed on the turbulent weather outside of the jet but she cocked her head to the side with eyebrows raised. “Like people turning into animals, shooting energy out of their hands and feet, even growing in size to giants. There are some people capable of some pretty crazy actions out there.”
Alan let a low whistle escape his lips. A short paused ensued as Alan imagined what a war would look like when the two warring sides could do the things Danielle had described.
“Did it hurt when they came out?”
Alan took a moment to realize what Danielle was asking before he shook his head, “No, I just felt radiating heat. Then they were there. I wonder if I could do it on command. You know, like anything else I’m sure that with practice I could get good at it. Hey—do you think I can fly?”
“Wow, easy there, Superman. No practicing flying or spreading your wings in the plane. We don’t want to die prematurely. I mean not when the fate of the world is resting on this mission. You know, the mission everyone else was too terrified to accept.”
“Oh yeah,” Alan’s excitement at the possibility of flight diminished as he was reminded of their current situation. “Death Angels. I probably should have gathered more information before I jumped in feet first.”
“Not even ‘feet first’. Bare feet first. That’s definitely worse.”
Alan had to agree with Danielle’s solid argument. “So, how bad is it?”
“Really bad. Like, think about the worst possible scenario then deep fry that.”
Alan shook his head and pursed his lips.
“Yeah, so ready for the history lesson or do you want to take a few deep breaths first?”
Alan sat quiet in his seat next to Danielle as the plane hummed through the darkness. He reminded himself to keep his mouth closed and not gawk as she told him the history behind the Death Angels.
“Well, you may have already heard of them before. The Death Angels are mentioned throughout history and in many ancient records. Whenever a nation was destroyed in Biblical Times or a plague was cast on a society, the Death Angels were tasked with carrying out the assignment. They are the elite warriors of the Angel army. Each one of them has the ability to destroy entire countries. When the war in Heaven first started, no one knew which side they would take. For a long time they chose to abstain from the war. If they hadn’t chosen to stay loyal, who knows how much longer the war would have waged.”
Alan took a moment to gather his thoughts before he asked the first of the many questions that were begging answers. “So, how many of these Death Angels are there and where are they now?”
“I’m not sure on the exact number. If I remember correctly, there are only a dozen or so. After the war in Heaven ended and the celestial weapons were ordered to be destroyed, the Death Angels were asked to guard a select few as relics. The Creator sparred a handful of weapons to try to preserve the angelic culture and way of life. Similar to how the Chronicle was saved as a record and reminder of the angelic culture. The ability these weapons possessed was clearly dangerous and He knew the Fallen would come after them if they were not guarded day and night. So, He ordered the Death Angels to watch over the weapons. They’ve done that vigilantly for centuries now.”
Alan grunted in understanding as the direness of their situation began to sink in. “Okay, so we’re going to go confront the most powerful elite group of Angels in history and ask if we can borrow the weapons they’ve been ordered to guard with their lives for the rest of eternity?”
“Whoa, whoa, what’s with this ‘we’ stuff? I offered to come with you and show you the way. You’re going to do all the talking.”
Alan looked at her incredulously.
Danielle didn’t take her eyes from the plane window. “I can see you looking at me like that through my peripheral vision. I’m kidding; I’ll come with you. Still we need to come up with a solid argument. I doubt they’re just going to hand over the weapons.”
Alan nodded. “I’ll think of something. I have to. Where are the weapons located anyway?”
“Where else would ancient artifacts be?”
Alan furrowed his eyebrows before making the obvious guess, “A museum?”
“Bingo. A super remote museum that’s guarded by some crazy-strong supernatural beings.”
“Awesome.”
Chapter 48
The heat from the underground forge was breathtaking. Long flames of fire sucked oxygen like a drowning man catching desperate breaths of air. Ardat stared into the flames as her moment of retribution approached. All around her men and woman, Fallen and their Nephilim alike worked on melting sections of the ancient statue and forging it into instruments of death.
Kyle Brown shouted the instructions he remembered from the Chronicle. Temperature was adjusted correctly and molds for blades assembled. Soon, they would make the tools of destruction and Ardat would waste no time marching on her enemies.
She knew they would already be searching for her. If given enough time, Michael and the rest of his Angels and Nephilim would find her; even if they did manage to find her within the next few hours, it would be too late. The first celestial weapons were already being cast and tempered.
“Your eminence?” Dominic said as he approached.
Ardat moved her eyes from Kyle and gave Dominic her full attention. “Yes?”
“Things are moving as planned. We will have the weapons forged and ready for battle within days.”
Ardat looked her right-hand man up and down. He was dressed in a tailored suit with slippers. A long, curved cut over his forehead was the only reminder of his fight with Guardian during the confrontation on the cargo ship. “Good, you have a day to melt down this statue and forge me enough weapons for an army. No longer.”
Dominic moved to open his mouth before he thought better of his rebuttal and snapped his lips closed.
“How is Kyle doing after his first kill?” Ardat said.
Dominic glanced over his shoulder to the young man who shouted instructions and pointed directions as he replied, “He was shaken at first but I reassured him that he is doing the right thing. We are his family now. You know the affect power has on the weak. He’s got a taste for it now and he won’t be going back.”
Ardat’s dark eyes narrowed as she moved her gaze from Dominic back to Kyle. “Good, keep on eye on him. I want no doubt that his loyalty lie with us.”
“As you command.”
Chapter 49
Alan shivered in the cold morning air. He rubbed his hands together and stomped his feet in a feeble attempt to keep warm. He was examining the small, dilapidated two-story museum exterior as he waited for Danielle to finish paying their taxi driver.
Thanks to the high-powered jet, the flight from Chicago to the small city in Switzerland housing the museum took just under eight hours. Eight hours they had now lost. Eight hours that Ardat and her followers had no doubt spent hard at work making the supernatural weapons of death.
Adrenaline pumped through Alan’s veins, a nervous electricity was building by the second. It wasn’t everyday that he confronted a group of the most powerful supernatural beings in history.
“Ready for this?” Danielle asked as she walked up the weather-beaten stone steps to stand beside him.
Alan felt his Adam’s apple bob
as he considered her question. He fixed his eyes on the small building. The structure itself was anything but intimidating. Located miles from anything, it sat quiet and unassuming at the foot of a large mountain range. “It doesn’t look that daunting. So why do I feel a sense of dread grow inside me as I step closer?”
“Alan, we could always go back. We volunteered for this—“
“No,” Alan said louder than intended. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to yell at you. That was more of an answer to the voices in my own head telling me to go back. If this could mean the difference between winning the war—even give us a better chance at winning—I have to do it. I’ve done nothing except for the things I shouldn’t have been doing with my abilities for too long. I have to. If not for myself then for Jacob and Arther.”
Alan Price and the Colossus of Rhodes (The Nephilim Chronicles) Page 14