War of Wings

by War of Wings (ARC) (epub)

  “How dare you?” Kaldeczar drew his golden blade.

  “I am going to see God, so put that little stick away before I take it from you.”

  “I dare you to try!”

  “I don’t have to try anything!” A group of thrones began to encircle them. Gabriel wasn’t intimidated, but in the back of his mind he knew Michael would hear about this. Michael heard about everything.

  When Gabriel refused to budge, Kaldezcar attempted to drive him backward with a swing of his sword. As soon as the throne attacked, Gabriel dodged the blow and stepped quickly in, grabbing Kaldezcar by his armpits. Before he could attack again, Gabriel lifted him up and launched him into three other thrones standing to the side. His sword went flying. Gabriel prepared to be swarmed by angry thrones, but they allowed Kaldezcar to rise and have the first go. He drew a dagger and charged, and Gabriel blocked a blow with his forearm guard just before he heard a new voice. It was exactly the voice he didn’t want to hear during another fiasco like this. At least this time it wasn’t his name being yelled.

  “Kaldezcar!” A virtue came running over from the other side of the platform. It was Arrayah. “Stop it, both of you.” She was beneath the thrones in rank, but her voice could command any angel. Kaldezcar backed down, his head lowering in embarrassment.

  Arrayah turned to Gabriel. “What are you doing here?”

  Kaldezcar grunted. “You know this angel? He is trying to defy the hierarchs and barge in to God’s throne.”

  “Yes, I know him. Does he deserve to be attacked because he does not understand that God will not see anyone?”

  Kaldezcar took a step back, but he glared at Gabriel when Arrayah turned her head.

  “Come with me, Gabriel,” she said with a wave of her hand as she walked past him. Gabriel returned the glare but immediately turned away to follow Arrayah. As they departed the platform, he saw a seraph at the edge of the crowd looking at him sympathetically. Their eyes met, and she seemed to be looking right through him. He couldn’t interpret that look, and he wondered why she did not have her eyes covered. At any other time, he would have gone over to her, but Arrayah gestured at him impatiently, and he followed her toward the stairs. At the first step, he glanced back at the seraph, and she slowly shook her head as if it was a warning. Gabriel hesitated. “Arrayah, wait.”

  Arrayah paused on the step below and looked up at Gabriel. “What is it?”

  “This seraph,” he said. When he pointed to where the seraph had been, she was gone. “Never mind.” He decided to let it go. “What is going on, Arrayah?”

  “I don’t know exactly. I was also trying to meet with God, but the seraphim wouldn’t let me either. Will you walk down with me?”

  “Yes.” The fact was there was nothing he would rather be doing than walking with Arrayah, regardless of where they were. Who cared what was happening in Heaven? This was what was happening in his world. He was walking with one of the seven virtue angels, and she was genuinely interested in him. Gabriel completely forgot about Michael. He completely forgot his determination to see God.

  “I’m sorry about Michael and me fighting earlier.”

  “Let’s just live in the moment,” she said.

  He loved that answer. Michael didn’t need to even be mentioned. “So, what are you doing up here?”

  She paused before answering. “Things are changing right now, and I’m not sure what exactly is going on. I wanted to speak with God.”

  This surprised him. God had spoken to Michael about him, he had spoken to a seraph, the highest cherub had asked about him, and now the most beautiful of all the hierarchs was walking and talking with him—and she was wondering the same thing he was. This meant it wasn’t all in his head or Michael’s. He felt his stomach flip even as a rush of heat surged into his chest. “What do you mean?”

  “The classes seem to have lost some of their separation and order. I mean, look, here I am a virtue, and you are an angel, and we are having a conversation after trying to get to God’s throne.”

  “Actually, I am an archangel. Not just an angel. I have to tell you.”

  “Oh, my deepest apologies.” She smiled.

  “There’s only seven of us, just like you virtues.” He hoped she would appreciate the similarity of their rarity.

  “Wow. That is so interesting.” Her lips spread into a grin. “Everyone knows that you know.”

  “I was just making sure you knew.”

  Gabriel looked at her constantly. It occurred to him that this might make her uncomfortable, but he couldn’t seem to stop. “I know what you are saying though. I’ve had a few encounters lately that I never thought would happen.”

  “Like what?”

  “I think a seraph is trying to tell me something, and Michael is acting odd. Not to mention earlier today another archangel told me that Lucifer was talking about me.”

  “Is that why you were trying to speak with God?”

  “Yes. I just want answers, but God and I aren’t exactly the closest.”

  “We all have our own relationships to work out with Him.”

  Gabriel looked down, wanting to change the subject.

  “When was the last time you spoke with Michael?” she asked.

  “It’s been a little while. Maybe he is avoiding me.”

  “Over the fight I saw?”

  “Yeah, and he made some strange comments.”

  “What comments?”

  “I probably shouldn’t say.”

  “Trust me.”

  He couldn’t do anything else. “He said that something is about to happen in Heaven that will change everything.”

  “Like what?”

  “I don’t know exactly.”

  “Well, that is strange. Is that all he said about it?”

  “Pretty much.” He was surprised she was so interested in their conversation.

  “It’s odd that he would just disappear now.”

  “You’re right. I think he will meet with God soon if he hasn’t already, so I’ll come back early tomorrow.”

  “I could come with you if you wanted me to.” She looked over at him with soft eyes.

  Gabriel stopped next to her on the stair. “Really?”

  She nodded, and he realized she was serious.

  “I would love for you to.”

  “Then I will,” she said. “It will all be better soon I am sure. Things may be changing, but sometimes change is needed. To fix things that may be out of order, or just to better things.”

  Gabriel had never been very close to a female angel. He never felt he had much in common with them, so he really didn’t even try. Arrayah was different. He didn’t care what they did or didn’t have in common. It didn’t matter that everything seemed to be coming unraveled. He hadn’t felt this good in a long time.

  “If you’re not busy,” he said, “I’d love to take you to my favorite place in all of Heaven.”

  “I would love to see it. I just can’t today. I’m sorry.”

  “No problem. We’ll see it another time.” He tried to not show his disappointment.

  “Consider it done. Let me guess where it is though.” She flipped her hair over her shoulders playfully.

  “Go for it.”

  “Is it the Crystal Cave of the Iris Fall?”

  “No.”

  “It must be the Mountain Wall Estates of the Canyon Reef where I found you,” she said with confidence.

  “I’ve become much fonder of the estates since you found me there, but no, that is not it. It’s not one of the popular places. In fact, that’s why I like it. It’s kind of my own little spot.”

  “Oh, so there is more to Gabriel than this tough exterior.” Arrayah had a playful smirk and one raised eyebrow.

  “Not much more.” He smiled back. “I’m definitely not as deep as a virtue angel.”

  “Humility. I like it. That is my virtue.”

  “I know. I saw your necklace.”

  “And he pays attention to detail
. Very nice.”

  “Tell me about yourself. What is Arrayah passionate about?”

  “For starters, I am very curious. I want to know why things are the way they are and how they came to be in the first place. Have you ever thought of anything like that?”

  “Sure. All the time.”

  “Really?”

  “Actually, not often.” They both had a short laugh. “I like to live in the moment, trying to be as happy as I can. For example, I am doing exactly what I would most enjoy doing in all of Heaven right now—talking to you.”

  He looked in her eyes. She turned away.

  “We’ll see what you say after how long it takes to get down. You’ll be tired of me by then.” She started jogging down the steps.

  As they went on, Gabriel tried to walk more slowly to make their time together longer, but she repeatedly picked up the pace and he had to follow. He would have walked and talked with her forever if she would have allowed it. Arrayah did most of the talking because he mostly just had questions for her. She was fascinating to him. He found he loved to watch her laugh. He asked her about her favorite things, and she was open and warm with her responses. She had no guard up. She trusted him.

  She was passionate and expressive in her speech, revealing how she longed to know more and to teach others. But the truth was it didn’t matter what she had to say. Gabriel felt something stirring inside, and he could not tear his eyes from her. She was a spark of light in a dim existence.

  By the time they had reached the bottom of the stairs near the glistening sheen of the pearly gates, Arrayah had brought up the question of where God came from. “I mean, what came before God? How could He possibly be both the Alpha and the Omega?”

  As her words sank in, it felt like that instant just after waking up when harsh reality was still setting in. Had she really just asked that? It took him a minute to respond because he was repeating the question in his head and trying to figure out where it came from. “I don’t understand,” he finally said.

  “I know! It doesn’t make sense if you really think about it. We can’t possibly know if God really is who He says He is. That is all I’m saying.”

  Gabriel knew his confusion showed. He felt stupid and slow, and he could not come up with a decent response. She looked at him hopefully, and he wanted to agree with her just to see her smile, but he couldn’t bring himself to. They crossed to the gates in silence. Her eager expression wavered but remained.

  They finally said their goodbyes. Gabriel felt he was grasping for the right words, strong and convincing words, but none were in reach. He had to see her again so that he could say some of these things he wanted to if he could only muster the courage when the time came.

  He watched her turn and leap into the air, her pure-white wings unfurling and beating hard. She soared over the edge before drifting down the mountainside. Her wings rose and fell gently as if they were caressing the air as she fell.

  It was then that he remembered what the seraph had said. Angels would forget that God was holy. He recalled Michael’s warning—angels falling, angels burning. Arrayah could not be a part of that though. She was something different. She smelled like lavender after a rainy day. And those eyes.

  Gabriel tore his gaze away from her dwindling form. He knew he should find Michael right away and talk to him alone. But all of this felt too overwhelming, and if he rushed to find Michael, it would only acknowledge that something serious was happening. If he waited until the next day, perhaps Arrayah could join him. He really wanted Michael to meet her—and after all, it was just one more day.

  Lucifer remained on Terra. He had sent Saraquel to recruit his closest friends and the other six archangels. It was a start for his new apprentice. In the meantime, Lucifer continued to indulge his fresh appetite for destruction. When Thyaterra found him in his new domain, the shock on her face as she landed was clear. Lucifer looked around himself and took in the extent of the damage. Trees lay uprooted for hundreds of miles, and dirt, rocks, and dead plants were scattered throughout the vast plains. They were empty now—a huge perimeter around Lucifer was completely void of life.

  “Lucifer!”

  “I told you not to follow me.”

  “I didn’t. I waited for you to come back, but I only saw Saraquel. He told me where to find you.”

  He actually wanted to see Thyaterra, so for once he was glad that Saraquel was weak. Her life force was so strong that he could feel it immediately. She was pulsing with it. Why had he not noticed it before? The urge to grab her by the neck was almost unbearable. “I didn’t want you to see it like this, but this is all for you. I have named this place Terra after you.”

  “This is not yours to name. I came here to draw a line with you.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “I will not stand by your side and watch you turn your back on our Father. If that is the path you choose, I will no longer be a part of your life.”

  He could feel his hair standing up, or maybe it was growing. Whatever it was doing, he couldn’t control it. Anger, powerful and unrestrained, was filling his veins.

  “I don’t know what is happening with you, Lucifer, but it is not something I feel strong enough to be able to handle alone. If you do not come back to us, then I will no longer come near you.”

  He fought to remain composed, but his voice sounded like a growl even in his own ears. “You don’t understand what I have seen.”

  “I don’t care what you’ve seen. You are becoming unstable. You are deceiving yourself and believing your own convenient lies.”

  “He is the liar!” His face felt hot. Strands of hair grew down over his eyes, curling and twisting, and turned ashen grey. At his shout, Thyaterra took a step back from him.

  “I cannot begin to understand what is happening to you, but I don’t want to be a part of it. If the Lucifer I know and love comes back, I will be waiting for him. I must go.”

  “You would leave me like this?” He could feel her strength pull him toward her as she stepped away as if they were tied together somehow. “Will Bretabian so easily replace me for you, just as God’s new Son has for him?”

  Thyaterra turned to leave. He couldn’t let this happen. He loved her. He rushed toward her, intending to stop her, to convince her, but before he could think, he had reached from behind and grabbed her by the throat. It shocked him, but his fingers dug in all the same. His head was now close to that wondrous source of energy just below her delicate neck where her wings joined her back. It pulled at him.

  “I think we should work to get on the same page again, Terra,” he whispered into her ear. The soft strands of her fragrant blonde hair brushed his cheek, and he trembled. He worked at relaxing his grip. “I don’t know what I will do if I lose you.” She was shaking, but she didn’t say a word or collapse against him. In fact, he felt her stand up straighter. She was so strong.

  “Terra, I love you.” Her energy pulsated from the base of her neck. Her strength was intoxicating. He wanted to consume it even as it made him love her more. Lost in the moment, he yearned for her to say something.

  “I’m leaving you, Lucifer.”

  His eyes shot open, and he pulled his face away from her hair. He wanted to rip her wings from her back. It would be so easy. His hand tightened again on her throat, and he eyed the downy softness of the feathered arches rising from her back. He could tear them clean off her, hurl them as far as the trees, make it so she never flew again. Never went anywhere. Never left him again.

  He had to do this. Anything else would be weakness. Yet his hands would not move. He concentrated on his anger toward God and felt the rage filling him again. His hands dropped from her neck to the base of her wings. It would be like tearing branches from a sapling. He could do it. He knew he could.

  “Lucifer, I have to tell you something!” Saraquel broke through the clouds and dropped toward them like a stone. Sweat poured down his face, and his wings trembled from the strain.

  Thy
aterra pulled away, and her wings slid through Lucifer’s grip. She leaped into the air before he could react. He didn’t know whether to fly after her, slam her into the ground, and tear her apart or simply watch and let her go. When he realized he had hesitated too long—she was fast with her six wings—he knew too that she had turned her back on him forever.

  “Thyaterra! This will no longer be yours, and you can stay in captivity forever!” His scream was loud enough to be heard easily even at her distance. She continued her flight without slowing, and in an instant, she could no longer be seen.

  He took deep breaths until he could speak without growling. “What is so important, Saraquel?”

  “I spoke with the archangels.”

  “Archangels are of small importance to me. How much of that did you witness?”

  “Hardly anything, your highness. I just saw her fly away.”

  “Forget her. She is nothing.” After a moment, he composed himself. “Come over here.”

  Saraquel followed Lucifer across the plain of devastation. They finally reached the edge of it and approached a small copse of still-standing trees.

  “I must tell you about one archangel,” Saraquel said.

  Lucifer grabbed a tree at its base, his fingertips crushing into its bark, and ripped it from the ground with one powerful pull. Long, twining roots dangled, thick with clods of falling dirt. Lucifer lifted it up and heaved it as far as he could. He turned to the other angel, brushing off his hands. “That tree had life. What do you think will happen to it now?”

  Saraquel looked puzzled. “I’m not sure what you’re asking.”

  Lucifer sighed. “Never mind. Do as I do. And tell me of this angel.”

  “His name is Michael. He is the leader of the seven of us, and I must tell you that he may pose a problem.”

  “Go on.”

  Saraquel watched Lucifer, and together they started ripping out trees from their roots. Saraquel wasn’t nearly as strong as Lucifer, so he searched for smaller trees. “He is opinionated. A leader amongst the lower class. I caught him in prayer.”

  “Yes?”

  “He is extremely close to God.”