The Genesis of Seven

by Sara M Schaller

  Gabriel waved us over. “They’re letting us in and providing transport to Raphael’s campsite.”

  The vehicle provided by the game reserve had no roof, so visitors could easily take pictures and see the animals, and an extended back seat capable of seating six. The ride was definitely more pleasant this time. We traveled through the reserve, spotting various types of wildlife: giraffes grazing on leaves from tall trees, elephants bathing in a watering hole, zebras walking the plains, and lions lounging lazily in the sun.

  A campsite appeared in the distance. Natives eyed us in curiosity as we approached, and small children ran up in warm welcome. The vehicle came to a stop, and we clambered out dragging chests and duffels, which we left beneath a tall tree. I made sure to wear the backpack for safekeeping.

  A young white woman in her thirties quickly approached. “Who are you?” she demanded.

  “We’re here to see Raphael,” Gabriel said. “We’re his brothers. There’s been a family emergency.”

  Her eyes narrowed into slits. “Yeah, I don’t believe that. I suggest you go back to wherever you came from. We don’t want any trouble here.” She stood her ground.

  “We don’t mean any harm, we just need to see Raphael,” Gabriel said.

  “Dr. Wolf is indisposed at the moment. I suggest you come back later.”

  This woman was far too overbearing.

  “Who are you?” Zadkiel asked.

  She turned her eyes to him. “I am Dr. Parr, a colleague of Raphael’s.”

  “I see.” Zadkiel stared as Uriel strode swiftly past her.

  “Hey!” she shouted, going after him.

  We followed.

  Dr. Parr grabbed Uriel by the arm. “I’m talking to you,” she demanded. “You aren’t going anywhere!”

  He twisted out of her hold and faced her.

  “Intimidation won’t work,” she warned. But that was not Uriel’s aim.

  Reaching inside his pocket, he pulled out his wallet and took out some sort of photo ID card, which he handed to Dr. Parr. “Uri Reed,” he said, “Wildlife Research Specialist.”

  She scanned the ID and looked up at him skeptically. “Is that supposed to impress me?”

  He sighed. “No, it’s supposed to show you we don’t mean any harm.”

  She handed the ID back to him. “You still want me to believe you’re here because of a family emergency?”

  Exasperated, Uriel opened his mouth to argue, but Zadkiel spoke first. “Just because we don’t look like Raphael doesn’t mean we’re not his family.”

  Clearly, his words struck something inside. Dr. Parr’s face finally relaxed, and a look of empathy crossed her features. She remained silent for a moment, weighing up her options.

  “He’s inside the aid tent,” she said finally. “I can take you there.”

  “Thank you,” Gabriel said before she could change her mind.

  Dr. Parr wove us through a maze of tents inside the camp. The natives continued to eye us in interest. I met eyes with an African woman standing in front of one of the medical tents. She held a baby and was surrounded by other young children. When she saw Dr. Parr, she smiled and stepped aside, making a clear path for us to enter.

  My eyes adjusted to the dim interior as we ducked to walk in. A tall black man leaned over a boy, obviously distracting him, as the boy laughed and did not flinch when the doctor stuck a needle in his arm. He disposed of the instrument and placed a Band-Aid over the small wound. When he set the boy down from the table, the child ran off toward the woman outside.

  The doctor went about tidying things up, his back still turned to us. Long black dreadlocks fell past his shoulders, some strands twisting into braids. I could tell he was extremely muscular just from the size of his arms and his broad chest.

  “Raphael,” Dr. Parr said. “Sorry to interrupt, but these men are here for you.”

  He froze mid-action. “I knew they would come for me sooner or later.” He turned around to contemplate us with a steady gaze. “They are my brothers.”

  “Oh. They said that, but I didn’t believe them.” Dr. Parr clearly felt guilty.

  A deep laugh rumbled out of Raphael’s chest. “Understandably so.” His smile brought attention to his full goatee and deep brown eyes.

  “I’m sorry,” she apologized.

  “No worries,” Gabriel said. “We all understand why you were being cautious.”

  She nodded. “Thanks. I should take over administering the shots in the other tent, give you all some space.” With a smile, she dipped under the tent flap and left.

  “Did she give you a hard time?” Raphael asked.

  “That’s putting it lightly,” Uriel said.

  “She is a feisty one,” the doctor laughed. “I once saw her take on a man twice her size, and he had a gun.”

  “A gun?” I repeated, surprised.

  Raphael studied me. “Yes, a gun. They were trying to steal drugs from us, medicines we use to treat our patients.” He paused. “You must be Jordan.”

  I froze. “How do you know my name?”

  “Because Sister Helen arranged for you to come here. She said I was to train you. She didn’t elaborate much, but I imagine she meant that by coming here, you might hopefully gain some worldly experience and knowledge.”

  Through all our travels, I’d forgotten Sister Helen had arranged for me to go to one of the archangels in Africa. “How did she find you?” I asked.

  “She told me she asked a friend of hers who worked for the Red Cross about potential locations for mission trips. This friend happened to be our medical supplier, so, naturally, he knew about my work. The next time we received a shipment from them, a letter from Sister Helen arrived as well.”

  “She didn’t tell you anything else? Perhaps about this backpack?” I wondered.

  Raphael shrugged. “No, but I can feel the energy of it. Feels similar to some object from Heaven, one of the gemstones perhaps. What’s inside?”

  “That’s the million-dollar question,” I replied.

  Surprised, Raphael said, “What do you mean?”

  “It’s locked, and we don’t have the key,” Gabriel said.

  Confusion replaced surprise as Raphael shook his head. “Well, I don’t have the key.”

  I slipped the backpack off my shoulders, exhausted and dejected. “Why couldn’t Sister Helen just explain things to me?”

  “There was no time. You know that,” Gabriel reminded me.

  “I know, but it doesn’t make it any less frustrating.”

  “You cannot let anger get the best of you.” Raphael stared directly into my eyes. “I had a brother once who did that, and I’m sure you know where he is now. I can only imagine how it must feel to learn about us archangels and the many intricacies of our world, but I assure you, we will figure all this out together. Even the things unknown to us.”

  “Does that mean you’re coming with us?” I asked.

  Raphael hesitated. “I’m not sure.”

  “What do you mean?” Uriel said.

  “I can’t leave this place.” Raphael looked around. “They need me here.”

  “Yes, but we need you too,” Zadkiel said.

  “I understand that. However, I’m in charge here.”

  “You can easily leave Dr. Parr in charge,” Uriel suggested. “She seems highly capable of taking care of this place.”

  “And there are other doctors too. You have a whole team, don’t you?” Gabriel asked.

  “Yes, but—”

  “But, what? We need you, Raphael.” Uriel was insistent.

  The angel of healing looked torn between his earthly duty and his heavenly one. I understood his dilemma. He was helping people in need here, and to leave them behind for some unknown object locked away inside a backpack didn’t seem nearly as demanding.

  He studied the bag at my feet. “I need time.”

  “Fine. But we leave by morning,” Gabriel said.

  Raphael nodded.

  “
Can we stay the night?” Zadkiel asked. “It’s been a long trip, and Jordan needs rest.”

  “Of course. I’ll show you where you can settle in.”

  Raphael escorted us to the middle of the camp, where a row of tents sat along the perimeter of the site.

  “These are for the doctors. You can have mine,” he said to me.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive.” He showed me inside. “It’s not much.”

  I didn’t understand what he meant. Everything seemed so extraordinary. I ran my hand along a table where a map was spread out and took in the rest of my surroundings. There were all sorts of African masks and native decorations.

  “The tribespeople give me these gifts in a display of their gratitude. Sometimes, the gifts are masks. Other times, they are woven bowls or dyed cloth,” he explained.

  Raphael also had a chest similar to those the others continued to lug around. There was a corner full of extra medical supplies, and an area with a sleeping cot. I was getting a taste of what my life would have been like if the fallen had never surfaced in New York, and I was loving every minute. I only wished we could spend more time here.

  “Will it do for the night?” Raphael asked.

  I nodded as I walked over to the cot. “Yes. Thank you.” An object on the small table caught my eye. “What’s this?” I asked, picking up the glass ball full of clear liquid.

  He looked amused. “A holy water grenade. I was going through things the other day and found it. Jophiel invented them. I never found any use for mine. I was meaning to dispose of it, but now all of you are here, I’m sure someone will take it.”

  I placed it back on the table. “Jophiel? Does he always invent things?”

  “Yes. He is an angel of art. He enjoys crafting things together.”

  “I see.”

  Gabriel stepped inside the tent with my duffel. “I thought you might want this,” he said, placing it near the cot.

  “Thanks. Are you all settled in?” I asked.

  “We made camp right outside, by the tree.” He pointed to an enormous tree in front of Raphael’s tent.

  “Wonderful…” I was still trying to come to terms with their constant vigilance.

  After settling in, I went outside to stretch the stiff muscles in my neck and back. The horizon slowly turned pink as the sun became a giant orange orb in the sky, dropping low in an impressive sunset. In the distance, I saw the giraffes once more, their tall figures casting shadows and silhouettes. I walked over to the tree where the angels would keep their watch and ran my hand along the smooth bark. This was truly a surreal experience.

  When darkness swept over the plains, we all gathered around to share a meal the doctors had prepared in our honor, together with the natives. The aroma of their cooking made my stomach growl. The angels didn’t eat but expressed their gratitude. I finally realized why the natives regarded Raphael as a divine being. Of course, he didn’t eat or sleep, and they obviously noticed. It was easier for the other angels to conceal their behavior since they weren’t always in the company of a large group, but out here in an isolated camp, Raphael could not easily hide his differences.

  I sat between two boys who were slightly younger than me. We ate in companionable silence and then laughed together when some of the children played practical jokes. After the meal, our night was full of dancing and singing.

  “Are you enjoying yourself?” Raphael asked when I joined my friends under the tree.

  “Yes, very much,” I told him. “There’s something I was meaning to ask you.”

  “What is it?”

  “Earlier, you said you could feel the energy from the backpack. Something about it being similar to a heavenly object, like a gemstone. What did you mean by that?”

  Raphael turned to Gabriel and Zadkiel. “I take it you haven’t explained the Wonders and the Keys yet?”

  Zadkiel shook his head. “We didn’t have time to get that far.”

  I stared at them. “This sounds an awful lot like the birds and the bees.”

  “You humans and your silly expressions,” Raphael chuckled. “The Wonders and the Keys have nothing to do with the birds and the bees.”

  I laughed. “Good, because that’s a conversation I don’t want to have.”

  “Me neither,” Raphael agreed.

  Ignoring us both, Zadkiel said, “The Wonders signify the Wonders of the World, and the Keys are items Father placed at the Wonders.”

  “And you know about them?” I asked.

  “Yes.”

  “That means these items are the spheres then.”

  Zadkiel smiled his approval. “You’re becoming an astute pupil, Jordan.”

  “Thanks.” I glanced at Gabriel, hoping to take in his reaction, but he had a faraway look in his eye.

  20

  Gabriel

  Heaven, After the Fall

  “Zadkiel, we need to go.”

  He glanced up at me from the parchment he was reading. “Already? But I have had barely any time to study this document.”

  “Indeed. I have had barely any time to compose music with all this combat training we have to complete.” I stared forlornly at my violin.

  “It is only for the best after everything that happened.”

  “Do not remind me,” I said sadly.

  Zadkiel followed me out of our room, where we ascended the stairs to the top of the tower and flew to the one flanking it. We retrieved the keys that hung from our garments by a chain and inserted them into the appropriate keyholes.

  The door swung open, and our comrades, the remaining members of the Council of Archangels, greeted us.

  It took a while for Metatron to call the meeting to attention. He was distracted by the presence of Seraphiel, who was speaking to him seriously. When their conversation ended, Metatron clapped his hands and remained standing.

  “Greetings, brothers and sisters. I would like to welcome you to this meeting. As you can see, we have a guest who has come to deliver a message from Father.”

  If this was any other time, I would have been surprised by Seraphiel’s presence, but now, it felt natural. All angels in the hierarchy were interacting with each other more since the war. Though, the last time I saw Seraphiel was when she escorted the fallen to the edge of High Heaven.

  I briefly looked over at the empty seat—a clear reminder of the brother we had lost.

  “I was sent here because Father felt it was time for some explanations, starting with these.” She reached for the wooden box Metatron was holding and opened the latch to reveal its contents.

  Twelve round objects rested inside, the thirteenth noticeably missing just like our fallen brother. The interior of the box was covered in black velvet, and the spheres rested perfectly inside on small pedestals, each about four inches in diameter. They were made of precious gems and varied in color, from emerald to ruby to lapis lazuli and more.

  “These objects are known as spheres,” Seraphiel explained. “These spheres are needed for a powerful prophecy Satan was striving to fulfill.” She said his name so nonchalantly it surprised several of us, especially Michael. Seraphiel took no notice. “Father knew these spheres were powerful, so He made sure there were beings He could trust to protect them.”

  “Us?” I asked.

  She met my gaze and nodded.

  “What?” Michael exploded.

  “Michael,” Metatron chastised. “Please, let her finish.”

  “Why? She is displaying the very objects we just had a war over!”

  “I understand your distress,” Seraphiel said, “but you should not worry. These objects are being separated. In order to hide and better protect them, seven will be sent to Earth, and five will remain here in Heaven. Father does not want another war over the spheres, so he thought the best course of action would be to divide them.”

  “Wait a moment,” Zadkiel interrupted. “You just said we are to protect these objects. If seven are being sent to Earth, how can we?”
>
  She looked at him solemnly. Seraphiel did not speak. Clearly, she was trying to choose her next words carefully.

  Finally, she said, “Because seven of you will be sent down with them.”

  Outrage overcame us. My brothers and sisters flung questions left and right.

  “What?” Chamuel cried.

  “How is that possible?” Raziel asked.

  “Who will you be sending?” Tzaphkiel wondered.

  Seraphiel sighed. “The First Choir has debated the decision. Some feel you all should have a choice. Others believe Father should decide for you.”

  “Well, which is it?” Uriel demanded.

  “Neither. There was another option, a compromise. Father has chosen seven of you, but you can refuse the request if you wish.”

  This was absurd. Even if Father gave us a choice, it was one we really could not refuse.

  “Who has He chosen?” Metatron asked.

  “Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Chamuel, Jophiel, and Zadkiel.” She paused slightly after every name, making this more like a punishment than a chance to express our freewill.

  I gazed around the room at the other angels who had been chosen, realizing we were the ones who acted without council consent during the war. Maybe this is a punishment after all…

  “Father chose the seven of you for a reason,” Seraphiel clarified. “Your courage and bravery to act during the war when others could not is a sign you all can make tough decisions in difficult circumstances.” Her words soothed my fears. “Now, Father has tasked you all with an equally challenging duty: sending you to Earth and bidding you not to interfere with the problems of humanity during your time there.”

  “You are saying we cannot act?” Michael spoke up. “What if something terrible goes wrong? Can we act then?”

  “All Father said is that you are to watch and wait for a sign. This sign will indicate it is time to act.”

  “What sign? When will it come?” Jophiel asked.

  “I do not know. He only told me what I have told you. For those of you chosen by Father, do you accept His request to be sent down?”