“Gabriel! Gabriel, are you in there?”
Ironically, that same friend’s voice ended this moment. Arrayah and Gabriel separated, and Arrayah stood there in a stupor as his arms withdrew. She really did care for him. It was obvious from the way she looked up at him. She had to know he would always be there for her, and the wink from Lucifer must have meant nothing. She felt what they were building between them too.
“Gabriel, can you hear me?”
“I’m sorry,” Gabriel said quietly to Arrayah.
“Don’t be,” she whispered.
“Maybe we should ignore him.”
“Yes, maybe we should. Do you know who it is?”
“It’s Michael.”
“Oh.” She perked up with a more serious look. The moment was gone. “You should answer him.”
Gabriel turned from her with a little disappointment. He knew she was right although he thought it odd she changed her mind so quickly. “I am over here, Michael.”
After a few more shouts back and forth, Michael found them.
“There you are,” Michael said. He saw Gabriel was with someone. “Excuse me; I am sorry. I didn’t know you had company.”
“No problem. I wanted you two to meet properly anyway.” As Michael got closer, Gabriel said, “Michael, meet Arrayah again. Arrayah, this is Michael. Maybe we can get along this time and not drive her away.” Gabriel laughed, hoping to cut the tension.
Michael and Arrayah walked toward each other, and he reached out for her hand to shake it. When they locked eyes again, Michael froze just as he had done by the reef. He seemed almost petrified all over again.
“Are you all right?” she asked. Gabriel was sure she was used to angels staring at her because of her beauty, but Michael’s stare was so intense that it rapidly became awkward. He turned away from her but had yet to look Gabriel in the eyes.
“Excuse me. Yes, it is an honor to see you again,” Michael mustered.
“Michael, is something the matter? You acted like this the last time you met Arrayah.”
“Oh, no. I’m fine and all is well.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, it is no problem. I mean there is no problem.” It wasn’t like Michael to stumble over his words. Gabriel didn’t believe it. Michael had become nervous.
“Well, I have heard a lot about you, Michael. Gabriel tells me you are his best friend, and I’m glad we can talk peacefully this time.”
Michael had been looking at the ground, the orange trees, the newly named rose, anything and everything except Arrayah or Gabriel. Gabriel looked back at her to see if she had noticed.
“I would say Gabriel and I are more like brothers than just best friends. I will always look after his best interest.” Then, finally looking at Gabriel, Michael said, “I am the older, wiser one.”
Arrayah returned his smile, and Gabriel shook his head. “Older and more boring, you mean.” They all laughed, and the awkwardness of the moment was gone.
“I’ll give you that,” Michael said.
“So what are you doing out here, Michael?” Arrayah asked.
“I hate to interrupt you two, but there is something I would actually like to speak with Gabriel about in private. Would you mind?”
“Oh, no, go ahead. I don’t mind at all.”
“Are you sure?” Gabriel asked.
“Positive.”
Gabriel and Michael walked down the path toward the gap in the trees where he had entered. They stopped just before exiting by one of the hedge arches that served as entrances to the many miles of crops. Michael pulled Gabriel aside by his collar. His body language changed instantly.
“Gabriel, the time is upon us. God’s light has dimmed, and there is a great separation amongst all of the angels of Heaven.” Michael pointed up to the Great Mountain. The light of God was so altered. It was as if God was now gone and the afterglow was all that remained to light Heaven.
Arrayah’s words came out of Gabriel. “Maybe God has left us.”
“Gabriel, He would never leave us. He will be with us for eternity no matter what.”
Gabriel wasn’t so sure anymore. He wished he still felt Michael’s confidence.
“I need your help, Gabriel.”
“With what?”
“I’m starting a resistance group of angels for God. Something bad is happening in Heaven, and we need to do something about it now. God is going to need his loyal followers united.”
“We are just archangels, Michael. We are the second lowest of the nine orders in case your big head has forgotten. What could we possibly do?”
“I know what we are. We are still angels just like all of the hierarchs that you praise more than your own Father.”
“I don’t praise them! I respect them. There’s a big difference.”
“You have always wanted to be like them. You want to be something important, Gabriel? You already are; the only one who doesn’t know that is you. Well, here’s your chance to finally prove it to yourself. Join me, and let’s lead Heaven back to God.”
“I can’t right now, Michael.”
“You have something more important?” He frowned and lowered his voice. “You are my brother no matter how much we argue. You know this, don’t you?”
“I love you, Michael, but I can’t join you right now.”
“You won’t is what you mean.”
“You couldn’t possibly understand.” Gabriel couldn’t abandon Arrayah or ignore Lucifer. His mind was all twisted up about what was right and wrong. He simply didn’t know anymore.
“Gabriel, God told me to find you. I am here to help you.”
“I don’t need your help.”
“Well, I need yours, Gabriel. There’s something else I have to tell you too, but I need you to stay calm.”
“I’m calm. Go on.”
“It’s Arrayah.”
“What about her?” Gabriel could feel the hairs on his forearm stand on end.
“You are in danger. She is not to be trusted.”
“You don’t know anything about her. Don’t start this again.” Gabriel unsuccessfully tried to clear a lump in his throat.
“You have to trust me, Gabriel. I’m telling you the truth. God sent me here to protect you; I know that now.”
“From Arrayah? You have to be kidding.”
“Just listen to me. We need to leave.”
“No, you need to leave. I knew you would act like this because you have no one. Even Lucifer knows that you have no one but me, and he has never even met you! You are just jealous of me, and I’m telling you to stop acting like this!” He immediately regretted talking about Lucifer. However, it actually felt good to reveal that he met the highest angel in all of Heaven. For once, he felt more important than Michael.
“Lucifer? What does he have to do with this?” Michael straightened and backed a step away from Gabriel.
“Yes, Lucifer. I have met the great cherub. He has some interesting things to say, and they aren’t just some made up warnings about what God has shown him. Have you ever thought that God may be lying to us, Michael?”
“Is that what the highest cherub of all the angels told you? Does the betrayal go that high?” Michael’s shoulders and hands dropped to his sides. He closed his eyes and began to pace and rub his temples.
“I’m not going to talk about it right now, but let’s just say I have the chance to be far more than an archangel if things are to change.”
“This is so much worse than I thought.” Michael walked right up to Gabriel and grabbed his arms. “Gabriel, you need to be wise and listen to your heart. You know what is right. God is our Creator, and He has set rules for the angels—just, fair rules for the best for all of us. There will be consequences for this betrayal. Don’t you see? You have to see that!”
Gabriel jerked away from Michael’s grip. “Maybe I’m sick of rules! Maybe I don’t want to be controlled!”
“Gabriel, they are there for our own good as well as eve
ryone else’s. You know this!”
“No. I think they may be there to hold us back. I’m starting to think that Lucifer may be right about God being a liar.” Gabriel was surprised to hear himself say that and part of him wanted to take the words back, but they were already out. He hated being pulled in two directions.
Michael was shaking his head in disbelief. “Don’t say that. Gabriel, please. Do you hear yourself? God knows what is best for us even when we don’t.”
“If God is saying that Arrayah is not what is best for me, then He is wrong. I have never been happier in all the years I’ve been here than I have with her the past two days. She is sweeter than anything Heaven has to offer me anymore. I can’t leave with you.” With that declaration, Gabriel stared at Michael with all the conviction he could muster.
Michael looked back with compassionate eyes. “I can see how much you care for her. She is the first to capture your heart. I understand. But this is dangerous, and I need you to listen to me. I know something about Arrayah.”
“What do you know?”
“Gabriel, I am your brother and I love you.” His voice was kind but firm. “I have always only had your best interest at heart and you know that. You’ve always been able to trust me, and nothing is different now. I need to get you away from her, just for a while, and you need to stay away from Lucifer entirely. She is making you too blind to see the treachery that is going on around you and all over Heaven. She can’t be trusted.”
Gabriel felt like he was going to burst through his clothes. “Save the concerned brother speech! What do you think you know that I don’t?”
“Will you just trust me, please?”
“All I see is that you’re trying to be better than everyone, and I think you’re jealous of us. How dare you say she can’t be trusted? You don’t even know her! Now get out of here.” Gabriel turned to walk away.
“Gabriel, stop. Stop!” Gabriel stopped but kept his back to Michael. Michael took in a deep breath and continued. “You are right. I don’t know her. But I’ll tell you what I know about her. I know that God sent me here to help you. I had no idea you would even be here. I was just told to find you. I have never met Arrayah, that is correct, but Gabriel, hear me now: I have seen her before. I wanted to tell you this at the Canyon Reef, but I hoped you would stop seeing her without it.”
Gabriel slowly turned around and looked Michael dead in the eyes. Gabriel had no words, but his heart was filled with curiosity and fright. Michael was acting far too gentle for his comfort. Something was very wrong.
“Gabriel,” Michael said, “she is the only female from my dream. She is the one that burned.”
Gabriel remembered Michael’s description of the formerly beautiful angel, charred and crying in a fuming landscape of ash and darkness. He felt as if his knees would buckle, but he managed to keep his stance.
“I could never forget those eyes,” Michael continued, “or that face because I watched her transform. She screams in agony and her skin turns black, Gabriel. She loses her beauty and turns into something I’ve never seen before. Something not of Heaven. It was the worst thing I have ever witnessed. I’m telling you that whatever she does or is doing, she is on the wrong side and I have seen the consequences. And they are severe! She will fall from the grace of God.”
Gabriel stood with that same silent stare, taking in everything Michael had said. The cold had taken him over as he pictured Arrayah suffering. He couldn’t bear the thought of pain coming to her. He knew who she was, and there was nothing she could do to make her deserve what Michael described. It had to be wrong. Either God was wrong or Michael.
“Go, Michael. Just go.”
“Gabriel—”
“No! Leave now before I make you leave!” Gabriel shouted with every last bit of air in his body.
“Gabriel, I only want to help you before it is too late.” Michael held an outstretched hand toward Gabriel.
“Help yourself and get out of here while you can!”
Michael sighed and put his hand down. “You must let her go. Only she can save herself, and I won’t let her drag you down with her.”
“I’m not your responsibility!”
“You are my brother! Arrayah is not your responsibility. If Lucifer is the one in charge of all of this, then she belongs with him and not with you!”
Gabriel lunged forward with fury surging through him. He grabbed Michael’s chest armor and with a mighty heave threw him as hard as he could. The strength his anger gave him was greater than anything he had felt. Michael flew straight back and crashed through the trunk of an orange tree, splintering it into kindling. The impact uprooted it and sent the top of the tree spinning sideways even as Michael continued into the next tree. He smashed through seven trunks before flying through a hedge arch and sliding through the grass some two hundred yards from Gabriel. He very nearly fell off the side of the ravine, but his fingers clawed into the ground and he slid to a halt with his boots dangling off the edge. Gabriel started walking back over to Arrayah before Michael had even come to a stop.
He found her sitting on the bench, hands in her lap and a look of disbelief on her face. “What was that? Are you two fighting again?”
“Sorry. Michael crossed the line.” Gabriel was breathing heavily and trying to calm down but didn’t know how. He felt tension all over his body. He craved a spiritapple.
“I thought he was your best friend.”
“Not anymore.”
He leaned over to breathe, hands on his thighs, and Arrayah grabbed him by the shoulders. She gently massaged his neck. “I am sorry, Gabriel. Is there anything I can do?”
Her touch was so soothing. “Yes. Take me to Lucifer. I have made my decision. I’m joining you both.”
“I am so happy, Gabriel! I will take you.”
“Thank you.” Gabriel stared up at the dim throne of God. He wished then that its light would burst forth even if it meant he had chosen wrongly, even if he would face punishment. The light stayed dim. No help was coming.
“Gabriel, I wanted to tell you how much I love this place. I will never forget this day no matter what happens.” She grabbed his chin and looked at him. “Are you hearing me, Gabriel?”
“I hear you.”
“Thank you so much for the flowers. They will always make me think of you. I want to spread them all over Heaven.” She held his face and kissed him again. He loved her soft hands on his skin. She pulled away with a sad smile.
“I will think of you all the time, Arrayah, roses or not. And I will never let anyone hurt you.”
“You are a great friend, Gabriel.”
“You are more than that to me.”
The corner of her mouth twitched, and she peered down before she met his eyes again. “I need to tell you something.”
“What is it?”
“I don’t know how to say it. I want you to know how much I care for you, but—”
“I have an idea,” Gabriel interrupted. He didn’t like where this was going, and more stress was the last thing he needed right now. He wanted to focus on the good and forget about Michael, God, and Heaven. He had noticed the rose in her hand. She was holding it close to her heart.
“What is it?”
“Let’s meet here after everything changes in Heaven. Let’s spread the seeds of these roses as a symbol for everyone to be who they are no matter the circumstances. Let this flower be a symbol of our relationship. Let this bond us together forever.”
Arrayah looked at him with a small tear in her eye. “Of course. I would love it.”
“Good. I can’t wait.” At least that was settled. They had a plan for the future—more importantly, they had a future together. Whatever else she had to say, this was decided now. “What did you need to tell me?”
“Oh, I was going to say,” she said, then drifted off. Her eyes closed, and she brought the rose to brush against her lips. A soft sigh escaped her. Her eyes opened, and a steely resolve was in them now. “I was ju
st going to say that I’m really proud of you for standing up to Michael like that. I’m glad you considered Lucifer’s offer. I’m happy you are joining us.”
Something didn’t feel right. “Are you sure that’s it?”
“Yes. For now.” She offered a slight smile and grabbed his hand.
“Let’s get out of here.”
“I really care about you, Gabriel. Do you know that?”
“I do.”
They walked out of the orange trees, and Gabriel looked for Michael. He was gone. He must have left upset, and he must have left quickly because he left the seven uprooted trees on the ground in a heaping mess. That wasn’t like Michael. Although Gabriel created the mess, Michael would have still cleaned it up if circumstances were normal.
Gabriel studied the fallen trees with a heart that felt more burdened by the minute, weighted down by every choice he made. Despair welled up from somewhere deep inside. He felt regret and still suspicion too, but he had made his decision. Arrayah squeezed his hand.
“Gabriel,” she said, “it’s time to stand up for what we believe in.”
He didn’t know what that was anymore.
Gabriel and Arrayah spread their wings and headed over the fields back toward the Marble Falls. They were going to meet Lucifer on Terra. By the time they had made their journey back to the green-and-blue planet, the number of angels gathered there had exponentially increased from the last time. Lucifer’s message was spreading like a swift wind in the darkness. It was happening faster than Gabriel had expected. A large factor was the undeniable fact that God’s light had dimmed and was continuing to dim with each passing hour. Angels throughout Heaven were seeking answers just like he was. Lucifer’s ideas were popular, and what he said seemed to make sense.
Gabriel would have never found Lucifer by himself had Arrayah not known exactly where to go. She led him to a small mountain surrounded on all sides by thousands upon thousands of angels. On the top stood Lucifer, an ominous seraph, and a petite angel who appeared to be a virtue. She was dressed similarly to Arrayah only her gown was a soft pink. As they drew close, Gabriel saw light reflected by the necklace she wore inscribed with her virtue. He should have known her name because the virtues were well known in Heaven, but he didn’t.
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