The British Isles, or Avalon, on the other hand, were a riot of life. Despite the numerous sanctions imposed on it by the EU and UN, Britain had made a great deal of wealth selling its surplus of produce. Rivers flowed unrestrained into the sea, forests continued to claim more of the land as the populace happily stayed within the city limits. Closed mines were being reopened up with the growth of minerals. Animals long extinct now wandered the forests, fens, moors and grasslands. Animals extinct even longer now ran wild dazzling the mortal populace.
One only had to look at the young Empress in her Unicorn drawn carriage to wonder long and hard. Refugees forsaking the Angels and their religions cluttered the French coastline eager to get across the Channel. Even as Samael rolled across southern Africa, refugees were flooding south to seek sanctuary. Americans were fleeing the civil war that had destroyed the once great nation and sneaking past the Heradmantium Empires guards to enter Canada. Asian’s seeking a better life had flooded into Singapore.
All the refugees were thoroughly examined and taken under Blood Oath before being signed into service. Only once that was done did they get to discuss which province they would like to settle in. It was no longer just the Daemons who were flocking to her borders but Humans in ever greater numbers. Many were taking the pragmatic decision to forsake a faith they didn’t have strong attachments to for the safety and food guaranteed under her rule.
Was that perhaps why he was at her borders waiting for her? Was he a Heavenly refugee?
“You summoned me Patrick” he jumped a mile, and even after he settled enough to smile his four white wings were restless. He was worried or scared. Her senses became even more fine-tuned as she strengthened her shields. An attack was imminent.
“I didn’t think you would come” he honestly seemed surprised. Then again the last time they had seen each other she had been a prisoner. A great many things had happened since then. It was only logical for him to assume that she might bear a grudge.
Yet she bore him no ill will, he had been her only form of social contact for centuries after the others had ceased their taunting. He had never belittled her in any way, he had been lonely in a sense, and she offered forbidden knowledge. She wouldn’t necessarily call it a friendship, but they had struck up an easy exchange of ideas. They had enjoyed each other’s company, and she had become essential in the discontent’s plans to undermine Gabriel. They had also never foreseen that Sariel would free her, or that they would free Hera and reignite the War of Heaven. Or that Sariel would break the Hell Curse.
“Then why did you summon me, Patrick?”
He sighed “I am not entirely sure. It was a whim, I wanted to see that you were alright. Though of course you are, your empire is huge. The Archs rage about you all the time, and yet I wanted to see that you were alright.”
She was touched. He did actually care. She smiled at him “as you can see, Patrick, I am very well. All of my plans are going according to plan.”
“And what of Sariel?”
“She is well, she had reconciled with her family, she is fully aware of her powers now and has Ascended.”
He nodded, he had been very worried about her. He had wondered whether she had really been kidnapped. He knew she had survived long enough to unleash Hell but beyond that, no one in Heaven had any idea what had happened to her. “That is good, she was a troubled child.”
“She was only troubled because Michael and Gabriel stripped her of her powers.”
“They did what?” that was something no one had been aware of. He would have to pass that on to the others. Such accusations were without proof, but the right words in the right ears and rumours could spread with no way to trace them back. Such a rumour would be dangerous if it were ever traced. It would have to be done very carefully.
“You’re planning on sharing that information?”
“Yes”
She smiled savagely “Good, it deserves to be known.”
“Do you have other stories?”
“I have a few, but they may be common knowledge. However, I can endeavour to find out more. For a price.”
“I can trade information about Heaven, but I want a guarantee.”
“Sanctuary?”
“Yes, sanctuary. There aren’t many places where one can escape Gabriel’s reach, but your domain is one of them.”
She held out her hand “Then a deal is struck, Patrick. Information for information” he shook her hand, it was such a Human action.
She smiled after he had left, between him and Samael’s sources, she was going to be very well informed about Heaven’s actions.
The night sky lit up with the explosion, Cleopatra instinctively ducked her head. She might be immortal now, but she wasn’t making foolish mistakes. She could still be injured, even if only temporary, and that would allow time for the Angels to strike.
Cairo was alight with the Heavenly Legion descending upon the city. The civil war tearing apart Egypt had drawn Heaven’s eyes, unfortunately right to Cairo. Despite her best efforts she did not have control of Egypt, it was a deeply Islamic country. The Egypt she had once known was long gone and in its place was something very alien. But she was making some success.
She could no longer count on the Gods’ assistance anymore, the skies were ablaze with colours as God and Angel magic clashed. It wasn’t a confrontation, but it was a clash of powers. Enough that more Angels might come and would keep her Gods distracted. She now had to rely solely on her powers, intelligence and guile.
Many of her supporters had already fled Cairo, others were now dead. This convoy was all that remained of those who had stayed behind. They were still very much in danger.
The remaining generals were fighting among themselves, but many had formed factions, all of which were aligned against her. Their infighting was not as dividing as she had hoped it would be, they all hated her and her people. They hunted them like dogs.
But she would have her revenge.
Alexandria had already been cleared out of all the Angels’ people. She would flee there where the Gods had laid their spells thickest. There was also a resident population of Anubites who were trained in fighting, if not their magical skills. She would have to let the Daemon populations know that was where they were to go. Hopefully, most of them had fled Cairo, they would not survive so many Angels.
But would she make it to Alexandria?
Mortars continued to rain down on the highway, and from Cairo, she could see helicopters rising from the skyline. Their spotlights pointed towards the north, and she felt her heart sink. There wasn’t much their convoy could do against helicopters. Their trucks were civilian trucks they had nothing in the way of defence. Unfortunately, they were the only things on the highway, they were sitting ducks.
Explosions rocked the ground as Cairo lit up with a column of fire. What on earth had they just blown up? The flames roared up around the beams of sunlight but were pushed away. The Angels had not thought their actions through, the flames were pushed aside into buildings. Cairo was ablaze, and it appeared the fighting had gotten very intense. Even over the roar of the truck engines she could hear distant screams.
She was knocked to the floor as the truck veered wildly, she was about to yell when a stream of bullets ripped through the side of the truck. All but one had been knocked over, the youth who had remained standing was splattered all across the rest of them. People started screaming, and she couldn’t hear a thing.
There was a giant crunching, the whole truck shook violently then the top of the truck was ripped off as giant girders tore through the truck. She stared in horror at it being scattered back across the road. Wind whipped her hair and clothes, but her attention was drawn to the trucks around them. They had driven under a collapsed bridge to try and escape their pursuers and in the process had ripped their truck to buggery. Now they had no defence against stray bullets.
The whir of machine guns started up again as the chasing army trucks zoomed in again, they had veer
ed around the rubble, but their trucks were faster. Fire bloomed at the end of the guns and time seemed to slow down. It couldn’t end like this, it just couldn’t!
Bullets ricochet off blue shields that bloomed around the trucks. Lightning shot out from her hands and tore through the engine. She stared in surprise as the truck erupted into flames. Men screamed as their burned to death. There were more screams as lighting struck out at the army trucks chasing her convoy.
The explosions were a beacon for the helicopters. They turned their spotlights onto their convoy and let fire their machine guns. Women screamed, but blue lights flared all across the convoy. Cleopatra stared at the magic flowing out of her hands. It was untrained and flaring wildly. Rubble on the side of the highway was smashed away as her flaring shields warped and pulsated. They flickered as the truck veered and she struggled to stay upright.
The helicopters zoomed in on them, screams and yells filled the air. She tried to calm her thinking, wishing fervently that even one of the Gods was with her or even a Daemon with some power. Unfortunately, she was the most powerful, the handful of Werecats had no more magic than a Human. It all relied on her.
Power, she had seen it in many forms, she had somehow used it herself. She had survived Hell, she was immortal. She had seen Sariel do the impossible, she had seen her Gods renew the ancient monuments and flood the Nile. Surely she could do this. She had already destroyed several trucks with her power, somehow.
Sariel. That was the most impressive magic she had ever seen, and she hadn’t known what she was doing. She had been but a child and completely unsure of her magic. She was just as unsure of her magic, but she was no child. She could do this.
The women in the trucks jumped at Cleopatra’s scream. Their queen erupted in burning sunlight that blazed up into the sky. Lightning struck out violently at the chasing helicopters. With each strike, they exploded down in a fiery rain. Except one helicopter.
The lightning shattered across a blazing pink shield, and the helicopter increased in speed. Its roar overpowered all other sounds except the new whirl of a firing machine gun. The bullets shattered against her shining shields surrounding the convoy. A frustrated yell filled the air as something dropped from the helicopter. It didn’t even pause as the helicopter exploded behind it. It dropped like a falcon, smashing through the shields to alight on the shattered truck. It was an Angel in all his terrible glory. Four pairs of white wings, glowing eyes set in a golden helmet. It was beautiful, it was terrifying. It was vengeance. He raised a burning golden sword, ignoring the screaming women around him. He stalked towards Cleopatra, who was still trying to change her magic.
He jumped forward, striking with his sword. She screamed as the burning sword ripped through her torso. Golden blood splattered out across the Angel and truck. He gave a triumphant laugh as he dragged his sword up through her. She screamed writhing on the end, she was wearing a dress which offered absolutely no protection against a sword. He hacked at her again and again with all his skills. She tried to defend herself with her arms, but the sword hacked through it as though they were butter. Her shields died as he easily dismembered and disembowelled her. He laughed at her pitiful defence. This was the legendary Cleopatra? The great harlot of Egypt was about to meet her end.
“You are pitiful. How did you ever think to rule again? You stupid bitch. You thought you could take on the might of the Angels?” he laughed.
She lay there looking up at him. Her body was a mess, she was all over the place. Her blood and organs pooled around his feet and splattered his armour. Was it really the end? No, it couldn’t be, she had survived Hell!
Light erupted out of her blood, electricity wrapped around the Angel as she pulled out his magic through her blood. His sword went out, his laughter stopped. He gasped in surprise then pain as he tried to stem the flow. Somehow she had circumnavigated his defences and had hooked right into his core. Her blood shone with painful brilliance as his magic infused her. With each new drop, she grew even stronger. Her body folded back up into itself, her blood stayed as a pool, a conduit for the power and lifeforce she was stripping out of the Angel.
His limbs crumbled to ash, raining down into the shining blood. He collapsed into her yelling in defiance. He tried to stop her, to strip her of her of her powers. But she had a natural defence against Heaven and the Angels. She was a denizen of Hell.
He melted into a pool of silver blood, screaming as his flesh and bones liquefied. The last of him was his liquefying skull sinking into their combined blood. The blood surged upwards through her and into her various holes. She screamed in agony as more blood poured into her until there was no more and her body sealed itself off. Her skin had split in many places, silvery and golden blood shining through the splits but her body was immortal and quickly healed.
The women around her stared in horror before some of them shuffled over to help her.
The convoy powered on north aiming for Alexandria. Behind them, they left the city of Cairo falling to the Angels and Generals’ forces.
Chapter 8
Jophiel entered Gabriel’s personal sitting rooms. She kept telling herself she had nothing to fear. Gabriel had no reason to lash out at her. Then again the other Elder leaving her rooms had looked terrified. What tricks did Gabriel have up her sleeves?
The rooms were beautiful and tasteful, one could not fault Gabriel on her tastes. It also reflected Heaven. Wooden furniture varnished to golden hues sat among sunbeams. White transparent curtains floated on gentle breezes. Golden braziers burned sandalwood and incense. Oil paintings of Gabriel and Michael sat among landscapes through time. There were photographs of Constantinople, Jerusalem, Mecca and the Vatican. Chairs were decorated with soft pink and blue pillows. It was beautiful, even down to the two women sitting on one of the couches.
Gabriel truly was among the most beautiful Angels to have ever lived. Her golden blonde hair hung down past her shoulders like a curtain of golden light. Her pixie-like features held a cold, hard edge to them but they did not diminish her beauty in any way. She wore metallic pink eyeshadow and a light golden blush. Her welcoming smile was also metallic pink.
She looked strange dressed in ornamental robes instead of her usual armour. It was misleading, it made her seem softer. But it was clear that even the way she was dressed had been meticulously planned, the shades of pink and gold matched her makeup and dark skin tone. She wondered if the Turkish designs meant something or whether it was honestly Gabriel’s personal taste. It was always hard to tell with Gabriel.
Ariel was the real surprise. Jophiel had never seen her out of armour before, she was stunning in her beauty. Somehow she had transformed from one of the fiercest warriors into a gentle lady. Her ornamental robes were more European in tastes but were also white with pink and gold accents, she also had a great deal of silver decoration. Her golden hair had been styled into relaxed ringlets, most unusual for her. Her makeup was more silver than gold, but she also had pink metallic lips and eye shadow.
The family resemblance between them was clearly evident. Something Gabriel seemed happy to play on, she was just as happy to gloss over her relation to Lucifer.
“Jophiel, what a pleasant surprise.”
She wondered if Gabriel was ever truly surprised, she was like a spider in a big web of information. She always seemed to know what was going on, and if she didn’t, she was soon informed by either Michael or Ariel.
“My Arch Angels”
“So formal Jophiel, come sit with us.” She gestured to the couch opposite.
Jophiel sank down as ladylike as she could manage. She suddenly felt awkward and ungainly. It was more unnerving facing them like this than when they were in warrior mode. In armour, they did not portray the same delicate daintiness, which was completely an illusion. Either of them could lunge out of their chairs and rip out her throat before she had time to respond.
“Now isn’t that better. Would you like something to drink? Tea, coffee, water, wine, juice,
raintears?”
It was most unnerving seeing this side of Gabriel “raintears, please.”
She smiled as the carafe floated across the room with three crystal chalices. The carafe poured out the shimmering blue liquid into the three chalices before they floated to their recipients. She resisted the urge to slug back it, instead settling for a gentle sip. She would show them she was capable of being delicate. She was a woman, she was beautiful, she was poised and in control.
Such thoughts fled, and she nearly dropped her chalice when both of them turned their full attention on her. “Now I presume that you have come because you believe that you are capable of being one of the Seven.” Was it just her or did Gabriel fill every word with subtle scorn?
“I am here because my Lord Michael suggested that I should. He is not one for idle flattery, so I took him at his words. Heaven needs to have the full Seven if my powers can fill out the numbers than I am willing to serve. Should someone else be more suitable than I shall accept with good grace.”
*She’s a smart one.* Ariel sent to her cousin.
*That she is. Let us see what we can expose.*
“And why would Lord Michael make such a suggestion to you?”
Did she really sound jealous? Oh dear Chaos, she was going to die. “I serve in the Cherubim as a lieutenant under Peter. As a servant of his our paths regularly cross paths.”
*Smart indeed*
Ariel called in a codex file which she spread out before her and Gabriel. She had always been one to embrace technology. The orange and blue glow of the codex was one directional, Jophiel could not see what they could within the file.
“Your history is certainly impressive. You served in the legions of Athena and Odin, you also served Hecate and Ra, which certainly alludes to your power. Since the War, you have served faithfully in the Cherubim and have also served under Nuriel from time to time.”
A Gluttony Of Faith Page 9