The Damned and The Pure Series: Books 1-4 (The Damned and The Pure Series Box Set)

by J. D. Stonebridge

  “Ain’t this the lottery of destiny! I was an ordinary man just trying to survive this mess of a world until Heaven decided to pester me with a look into the disease-ridden future! Then, I meet the love of my cursed life only to find out she’s an angel, therefore making it more than a little complicated. I lose her, made a deal to bring her back, then lose myself in the process! Now that I got her and myself back, I get separated from her again because the entire army of Heaven and Hell are apparently interested in making a Shakespearean tragedy!” Caelum kicked the ground out of frustration, his violent outburst only beginning.

  “But you know what I still got? I still got my dignity, which is more than I can say for a man who actually can make a difference but simply chooses not to. I may be weak and dying, but I’m sure as Hell not useless. Even if an archangel were to smite me right now, I can say I died fighting!” Caelum turned his back on the man, clearly done with him.

  His words stung the scribe. Enoch stood still, unsure if he should say something, approach him, or let him be. Caelum’s words reached deep, deep into his past. He recalled words said by a very close friend.

  “They fear me, my wrath told in songs. I ask you, come with me. I will show you my kingdom. For you will be my voice, and men shall know me as I love them.”

  The only thing his voice did right now was make this man, who went against the tides of fate, curse himself and, perhaps, curse the one who made this happen.

  “My kingdom is for you, but you must choose your path. I ask that you hold my hand, and I shall show you the path to the paradise I have promised.”

  Enoch took a step forward. I must choose my path. I was given the privilege to see the real path, and here I am, doubting His words.

  Caelum kept limping, his ankle and shoulder burning with pain. The next thing he saw in front of him was the figure of a man who suddenly struck him on the shoulder and kicked him on the shin. Caelum expected to fall but instead felt Enoch supporting his weight with a hand on his other arm. Caelum’s shoulder didn’t ache anymore, nor did his ankle. His fatigue had disappeared, as had his hunger and thirst. Enoch pulled him as he righted himself.

  “You’re right,” Enoch said, dusting Caelum’s shirt. “I was given the greatest blessing to any man and here I am, doubting and running. You, you were cursed, damned, beaten, burned, rolled in dirt…”

  “Okay, okay, no need to bring back those memories. Yes, I'm still fighting,” Caelum said. “Thanks.”

  Enoch looked in the direction from which they’d come where Uriel and Daniel still fought. “Let’s help your angel friend. I’m not sure he can stand up against the Fire of God.”

  “W-wait a second!” Caelum remarked. “Are you certain you want to be back in the fire and out of the frying pan?”

  Enoch smiled with enthusiasm. “Of course! We’re going down fighting, aren’t we?”

  Enoch grabbed Caelum’s shoulders and they vanished, leaving Caelum’s words. “That’s not what I meant!”

  Uriel showed a slither of a pout. Daniel’s swords proved effective in shielding the angel from his attacks. Daniel hopped back on the ground, two swords hovering protectively over him. Uriel raised his hand again, and as he brought it down, smaller bolts of lightning scattered around Daniel.

  Numerous blades positioned around Daniel, creating an arc formation where the lightning bounced off, directing it away from the angel and to the ground. Though the blades were vaporized, Daniel was unharmed. Several more blades materialized around Daniel, and he sent a flurry of them towards Uriel. Each sword that hit Uriel merely bounced off as if he were impenetrable.

  Uriel slowly put his hands together, as if to pray. Daniel took this as a sign and created more blades. Daniel felt tension in the air around him, and Uriel’s hands began to glow. Without warning, several bolts showered from above, hitting all of Daniel’s blades. Before he could make more, a large bolt hammered down in his direction.

  Dust and crystallized sand once again covered the area. Uriel waved his hand and cleared the dust obstructing his view. His teeth were bared in his fury.

  Daniel had risked covering himself with his wings, but neither felt the impact of the lightning nor the heat on his wings. When he dared to look, he saw two figures standing in front of him. A translucent dome of light gleamed around them, shielding them from Uriel’s attack. Daniel climbed back to his feet to find that the figures were Caelum and an unfamiliar man in a moss green coat and fisherman’s hat whose palm was extended towards Uriel.

  “Enoch!” Uriel boomed. “Come and receive Heaven’s judgment!” He slowly stretched out his arm to his sides with hands balled into fists. Light poured from above, the air began to heat up, and the ground shook.

  Enoch kept his barrier up. “Here comes a big one!” he shouted. Soon enough, a huge ring of light flashed from the sky, and several colossal bolts rained down on them. In a split second, the land around them was vaporized, and Uriel gazed down in his victory. When the smoke cleared, all that was left in the area was molten rocks and sand, along with a crater which was the broken part of hell.

  Caelum opened his eyes, disoriented by the shock. He scanned the area and the question spilled from his lips before he could stop it. “Am I in Heaven?” he asked, but as soon as his vision cleared and focused on Daniel and Enoch’s faces, looking at him from above. “Oh, I guess not.”

  Caelum stood up and saw himself near the tent where Enoch had fled before. Enoch was on one knee, catching his breath. They looked back to the area from which they’d come and found the archangel still in the position they’d left him. Enoch ushered the two into the tent and closed it. “Shh... as long as we don’t reveal our powers or energies, he won’t be able to see us.”

  “What did you say about going down fighting?” Caelum asked.

  Enoch showed a smile, which was more unsettling to Caelum than he expected. “We survived.”

  Daniel also had an unusual look on his face: awe. “Enoch… the Scribe of God.”

  “Fanboy much?” Caelum snickered, but sadly his joke was lost on the two. “So, perhaps now is a good time for everyone to share their stories with me?”

  Enoch kept looking around, still tense, but after shaking his head, he recovered. “I'm waiting for someone very important, you see.”

  Caelum nodded repeatedly. “Yes, yes, I know that. Who are you waiting for?”

  “The coming of—”

  “Uriel!” Daniel suddenly shouted. A huge boom from above sent a massive shockwave, making the tent disintegrate. Caelum was thrown by the shockwave until Daniel’s hand caught his arm.

  “Enoch!” Uriel boomed once more, “You cannot escape me.”

  Enoch held both Daniel and Caelum’s hands, but before they could vanish, a wall of lightning crashed down behind him and sizzled, blowing them upward towards the archangel. Uriel swiftly aimed his hand at Enoch and smiled gruesomely.

  A thin beam of golden light blasted from his hand. Daniel’s mind raced, recognizing the energy as similar to that of what forms a Zound, only in its purest form. “Enoch!” he screamed.

  The beam tore through flesh and came out the other side. It left a charred hole where it passed, darkening the flesh around it. Caelum locked his eyes on the scene before him, trying to process what had happened in the last few seconds.

  Enoch felt cold sweat dripping down his face. The flitting beam of light dissolved into shimmering dust. Uriel looked at them with surprise. The hole in Uriel’s chest blew a bit of ash into the air.

  A curtain of dark hair danced in the wind. Caelum’s eyes widened, recognizing its raven black sheen. “A-Ariel!” Caelum shouted.

  Ariel turned her head and an angelic smile tugged her lips. “Caelum.” Her voice was sweet and warm as she said his name. “I am pleased to see you well.”

  Caelum shook his head in bewilderment. Then, he caught sight of the familiar crimson hair in front of Ariel. “Mikaela?!”

  Mikaela looked back with a raised brow, “Hey, Dad.�
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  Caelum recalled the scene in his head as it finished processing. As soon as the beam left Uriel’s hand, a pillar of light came down in front of them. Ariel and Mikaela materialized, and as soon as the beam reached them, Mikaela cupped her hands to catch the beam. Darkness molded and swallowed the beam, and moments later, the shadow behind Uriel spat the beam out and hit him from behind, aimed at his heart.

  Daniel could almost cheer. A Zound of pure energy. A force like that would vaporize what held the soul’s form and force it out, thus able to kill any creature with a soul. And yet, the archangel seemed unfazed by the attack.

  “Futile,” Uriel boomed. “The rising force remains.”

  Caelum looked around the place, then asked, “Mikaela, how did you find us?”

  The witch’s eyes lowered to the man standing beside Caelum. Mikaela could already see the strange energy inside the man. She turned back to her father and answered him. “Well, we were trying to look for you guys and ended up in the worst place to track down a particular energy. Seriously, it’s like searching for a needle in a haystack around here. Thankfully the archangel that is trying to kill you isn’t that difficult to spot.”

  Mikaela looked up to the man above them. “So, I’m guessing he’s Uriel, rather, according to what we found, it is Uriel.”

  Uriel hovered close, interrupting their discussion. The hole in his chest shrank until it was gone.

  “Ariel!” Uriel called, the sky echoing her name across the lands. “Your presence is required in Heaven!”

  “Not while I stand, Uriel!” she shouted back. “You are as guilty as I am, for we have defied the word of our Father!” Ariel challenged the archangel, with Daniel standing by her side. Enoch dared to stand with the two angels against Uriel, feeling more determined than he had in centuries.

  Chapter Fourteen: Heavenly Fury

  A clear crease of anger lined Uriel’s hairless face. His gaze bore into Enoch who sided with those who stood defiantly against Heaven. The archangel was motionless, hovering above them with a deep frown on his face, assessing each of those below him. A man, three angels, and a witch; all challenging him. Uriel smiled at the thought. “This is all amusing me.”

  Caelum cocked his head. “I can’t quite determine if he is truly pleased, infuriated, or simply sarcastic.”

  “He’s amused,” Daniel commented dryly, his eyes glaring at the archangel. He turned to Ariel and informed her, “In my previous assaults, he only attacked when I attacked. Merciless as the Angel of Repentance is, he is a fair warrior.”

  “That,” Caelum agreed, “or he likes to toy with his prey.”

  “I need you, Ariel, Enoch, and Mikaela,” Daniel announced, “I have given the most valiant of my blows, but none have scratched him. If an attack meant to kill an angel causes no permanent harm to him, I know not what will.”

  Mikaela gave a soft laugh. “Perhaps it’s just not enough. But I sure got how that beam felt.” Mikaela’s hand sprouted a small black blob that exuded dark energy. It pulsed and changed forms. “Let’s see if I can give him something new.”

  Concern showed on Ariel’s face, sharing Caelum’s worry unknowingly. She has grown quite valiant. Is it cruelty or courage? Caelum wondered.

  Uriel folded his arms. “Excellent. Let us… begin!”

  The sky darkened as thick grey clouds covered the sun. Lightning thundered all around like a rumbling storm. Uriel raised his hand to the heavens with his palm open. They watched as the archangel flexed his fingers and curled his hand into a fist. Loud thunder crashed across the horizon, and when it cleared into silence, countless crystal-like chunks began to rain down from the clouds.

  Something smashed just beside Caelum’s foot; he looked down on the ice that exploded upon impact. He looked up, and the hailstorm showered them with large chunks of ice, becoming heavier and larger by the second. Enoch stepped up and extended his hand to the sky. The translucent barrier covered them all, and they watched the ice break against it. Enoch winced at every impact, and the reverberation echoed in their ears.

  “Okay, so is he a male version of Storm from X-Men or something?” Mikaela asked rhetorically.

  “Mind you, my dear child. That’s an archangel you speak of,” Caelum reminded her.

  “We will be able to handle him together,” Ariel said. She turned to Enoch and her sapphire eyes widened for a moment in her surprise. She shook the shock away and addressed Caelum. “We left the Tenney siblings in a nearby location. Please take yourselves to safety and reach them.”

  “Wait,” Caelum blinked, smiling, “they are alive?”

  “Yes, they are,” Mikaela answered, mirroring his smile. “We were able to locate what Ariel called the Library of the Scribe of God—”

  “You went through my library?” Enoch interjected, looking rather more impressed than angered.

  “Oh.” Mikaela raised a brow. “Well, yes. And you should tidy that up once in a while.” She directed her attention to Caelum and continued. “You and Mr. Scribe here, go to David and Jenny. We’ve found some info and they might need your help putting two and two together.”

  “Wait, I—” Enoch meant to protest, but Daniel cut him off.

  “They are targeting you for a reason. It is best we handle the situation while you get to safety,” Daniel convinced him.

  Enoch frowned. “I suppose. But I must take this shield down if that’s the case.”

  Daniel turned to Mikaela. “Once the shield is down, use your darkness to attack Uriel. We will cover you from the hail.” He nodded to Ariel who agreed with the plan.

  “On the count of three, then,” Enoch announced. “One, two… three!” He closed his palm and grabbed Caelum, pulling him away from the scene. Caelum stumbled forward until he regained his balance, running just behind Enoch.

  “Can’t you take us there with a snap of your fingers?” he called over the chaos that was raining down on them.

  “Not now,” Enoch shouted back. “I can’t do it any time I want without my scroll!”

  Scroll? Caelum wondered about the word. He fought through the stiffening of his muscles and the scratches of ice on his skin, running away from the hailstorm.

  Several large chunks of ice showered the land, crushing structures and marking the earth. Ariel sliced the ice that fell in their direction with her bare hands while Daniel swiftly commanded his blades to break the rest. Mikaela grabbed the blob of darkness and swung her arm, letting the darkness spill and expand into a large spinning spike shaped like a star, hurling towards Uriel.

  Uriel caught the blade in his hand and crushed it easily. “Futile,” he boomed again, but Mikaela’s sly smile made him reconsider. The black shards floated around Uriel’s arm and turned into small needles, all of which entered his body. To the witch’s surprise, the needles passed through him as if moving through water.

  “Strange,” she uttered. The attack she’d sent was meant to directly stab through the soul, yet the archangel remained unfazed.

  A titanic mountain of ice materialized from the sky, looming over their heads. The shadow of the ice cast darkness on them, falling to crash down on all of them. Before it landed, Uriel swiped his hand and lightning struck the ice. It exploded, showering the land below with ice that fell with the speed of bullets.

  Ariel, Mikaela, and Daniel regrouped. The two angels held hands while each of Daniel’s swords lined up like a wall. Ariel called on the light and the blades began to glow. The formation created a shield over their heads, and the shards broke upon impact.

  The sound of the thunder stopped Caelum from his running. “Hold on!” he said to Enoch.

  “What?” Enoch said.

  Caelum stood and took a moment to focus on the big picture. They were a good distance from the area of the battle, away from Uriel’s attacks. His eyes studied the events unfolding in the battle. “My daughter’s out there, getting hurt. So is Ariel. I just can’t run from that, you know?”

  Enoch held his arm out and deflected a
few stray chunks. “Strange,” he said. “A demon who conceives a witch usually doesn’t care for his spawn.”

  “Well, like I’ve been telling everyone. I’m special,” Caelum replied without diverting his eyes from the scene. He gazed up to the archangel who remained in mid-air. Many questions ran through Caelum’s mind, studying the angel carefully.

  All his attacks come from above. I assume weather-based powers? Caelum wondered. Not only that, his loud voice seems to be coming from all directions. From above as well? His memories played back the attacks that the archangel had merely brushed off. The blades of Daniel’s sword passed through him as if they were nothing, and a beam of light that supposedly could eradicate any angel that came into contact with it barely scathed Uriel.

  Then, Mikaela’s voice rang in his thoughts. So, I’m guessing he’s Uriel, rather, according to what we found, it is Uriel.

  It? Caelum slowly guided his vision skyward. He saw the three struggling to defend themselves while the Goliath floated in the air like a dance club bouncer. Above the large figure, Caelum focused on one spot from the clouds where all of Uriel’s attacks seemed to originate.

  “Enoch!” Caelum shouted. “I know it’s a long shot, but can you send a message to them for me?”

  Enoch nodded and slammed his palm on Caelum’s chest. Caelum was fazed, but he felt a surge in his chest, like the feeling that he could blow a hurricane out of his mouth. “Shout!” Enoch cheered.

  Caelum widened his stance and opened his jaw. “URIEL IS ABOVE YOU!”

  His voice blasted forward, pushing the sands away and rolling towards the three. They got the message and so did Uriel who suddenly stopped his rain of hail. Daniel looked at Ariel and Mikaela and said, “Cover me!”