“Who are those angels with Lucifer?”
Arrayah flapped her wings to slow down and Gabriel caught the gust.
“Those are two of the most influential angels involved with us. They really are inspiring. Abbeus is the seraph in the middle. He is the only seraph God never considered a single year to be one of the four to guard His throne, yet he stayed loyal all this time. It wasn’t until he met Lucifer that he even knew how mistreated he was. Lucifer had the giant seraph in tears when he explained why God never used him to represent His throne. Have you ever heard a seraph cry? It’s like nothing you’ve ever heard.”
Gabriel thought back to the seraph’s voice in his head at the orange grove. She had said her words would soon be forgotten.
“Actually, I have. A seraph spoke to me in my head recently.”
“Come on, Gabriel. That doesn’t make sense.” She looked at him with a questioning stare. “What did it sound like?”
Gabriel closed his eyes and pictured being right back there under his tree. He could smell the citrus in the air and feel the pulp on his forearm. It was like being right back at home, something he longed for right now. “It sounded like a beautiful but sad song.”
He opened his eyes to see Arrayah close her mouth. She had heard the exact same from Abbeus. It was written all over her face. She leaned forward and glided toward Terra’s rocky surface at the back of the crowd. Gabriel followed her and touched down close, brushing a feather from her right wing.
“Do you know what that voice told me? It was a seraph saying that soon the glory of God will be forgotten. Look around us. What if she was right?”
“Stop it, Gabriel.” She turned to walk through the crowd.
“Wait, talk to me. I’m just asking what if!” Gabriel tried to grab her arm, but she whipped around and slapped his hand away before he could register the motion. He was unprepared for the fierce reaction or her speed. He recoiled at the slap and the look on her face, but she turned back toward Lucifer, unfazed.
“Don’t grab me.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Do you see the other angel up there next to Abbeus?”
Gabriel backed away. His heart sank further thinking she referred to Lucifer. “There are two. Which one?”
“Her name is Delia. She is the virtue angel of chastity.”
Gabriel looked up at Delia’s pink gown. “What about her?”
“She is my sister. As close as you think you and Michael have ever been, it is nothing compared to what I have with her. I will stand next to her. She and I are on Lucifer’s side to the end. Are you with us or not?”
Gabriel didn’t know what to say. He wanted to stand up for his friendship with Michael but realized the only two times Arrayah had met him they fought. He simply nodded and let her believe what she wanted.
She was right though, Gabriel thought, as she led him toward the mountain. He had forsaken his brother for someone he had just met. Michael had taught him everything he knew. The first time he ever crossed swords was with Michael. The very blade Gabriel used against him Michael had given him as a gift. Most of the things he owned and cared for were either because Michael had given it to him or Michael liked it first.
As young archangels, they had climbed trees on the far western rim and then glided down, seeing who could float the longest. Michael was always better at it, mainly because Gabriel weighed more, but he let Gabriel win sometimes. It was no secret Michael was the most important angel in his life. Yes, they fought, but he couldn’t think of a single time Michael didn’t have his best interest at heart. What was he doing here?
As Gabriel and Arrayah approached, Delia was finishing her speech.
“Don’t be left in the dark with the One whose light has burned out from the breath of His own lies! His light has dimmed for a reason. He knows His end is near. It is the time of the angels! It is the time of the new angelic order! It is our time, and I give you our leader. He’s God’s own chosen one, the highest guardian cherub, a wonderful inspiration, and a true friend to us all: Lucifer!” Her silky dress flapped in the wind behind her, outlining an exquisite physique, but she still didn’t compare to Arrayah.
The crowd of angels shouted praises with a thunderous outpouring of emotion for their champion. They cheered for him as they did at his concerts. Gabriel was astonished to see crowds of seraphim, cherubim, thrones, dominions, principalities, and even three of the seven archangels—Azrael, Azazel, and Saraquel. With Gabriel present, the majority of his class was apparently on board with Lucifer’s plan to oppose God. If every class became that way, God would no longer be in charge. He suddenly became light-headed.
Lucifer walked up with seeming grace and humility, and when he finally held his hand up, the audience quieted quickly. His effervescent wings were outstretched behind him. His face looked different from last time Gabriel saw him, darker somehow, but was no less perfect. What an attractive angel, Gabriel thought. Why would Arrayah be interested in a lowly archangel instead?
“We are not here to convince you one way or the other as to what you should believe or who you should follow. Forgive my dear Delia. She speaks with such passion from her own conviction.” He glanced at Delia with a loving smile. “Look at her. How can you resist her? You are a truly splendid creature, and I thank you for your wonderful heart.” She curtsied, and the crowd laughed at her charm.
Delia looked so much like Arrayah from a distance. Gabriel began to wonder if she could be the female from Michael’s dream. The two could easily be mistaken. If Michael’s premonition was true, then he hoped she was that angel. Arrayah turned and smiled at Gabriel as Delia curtsied, and a flush of guilt ran over him for wanting her sister to burn rather than her.
Lucifer continued, “We simply want every angel to hear the facts. God wants us to worship Him for eternity, serving Him and handling our appointed duties forever. Unfortunately for God, the truth has been revealed, and we know now that He is no longer who He says He is. We have become too smart and are no longer His children to manipulate and control!”
The crowd erupted. Lucifer clearly had the angels in the palm of his hand, and Gabriel wondered how far it would go. How many would stay loyal to God? Lucifer continued his speech, and as it went on, Gabriel watched as thousands more were converted before his eyes. It seemed to be effortless for Lucifer.
“I don’t want to make this about Him however,” Lucifer said. “This is about us! This is a celebration of what is to come!” The crowd roared even louder.
“Isn’t Lucifer incredible?” Arrayah turned and batted her eyes at Gabriel. He felt the lump in his throat still there from his confrontation with Michael. He finally cleared it.
“He is.”
Gabriel had so many questions. Normally he would turn to Michael. He couldn’t get his brother out of his head or shake the look on Michael’s face as Gabriel hurled him through the trees. He remembered their very first fight as young angels; he could still feel Michael’s knuckles against his cheekbone. It was what inspired him to take up sparring. He would have never won the arms spar in the Ludus Paradisus if he hadn’t been so determined to beat Michael. From even their worst moments came positive outcomes. What if Michael was right? He wanted to protect Arrayah, and Lucifer’s words were like honey. But what if this was the wrong side? Either way, he was bound to lose someone he could never replace.
He looked at Arrayah’s flawless features. She was listening to Lucifer, apparently captivated, but there were lines of worry around her eyes. He knew he was only there because of her. Before any of this happened, the seraph had told him to follow his heart and only listen to Michael. It was only Arrayah keeping him from leaving at that very second.
The source of light here on Terra was a glowing yellow sphere in the cosmos, but it was slowly fading away over the horizon now. Darkness was creeping across the sky. Soon all would be black and void of light. Gabriel’s troubled heart felt the same way; a darkness was growing inside. Looking at the shadows s
weeping across the mountain and beginning to engulf the gathered angels, a sense of horror and finality struck him. It was as if he were approaching a point from which he could not return. He didn’t know how to stop it, but he had to try.
“Arrayah, what if Lucifer is wrong about all of this? What if God truly is the Creator and the Ruler of all things, just as we have always believed? Then what? What if Lucifer is the liar here?”
She did a double take. “Have you not heard anything? Even some of God’s own seraph angels believe He is lying. If He’s not lying, then why flee in the midst of this revolution? Heaven is dimmed because His light is gone! Why wouldn’t He clear up the rumors and stand up for Himself?”
“Well—”
“No, Lucifer is right.”
Lucifer shouted and then paused for effect, and the cheers from the crowd almost drowned him out.
“Maybe God is allowing this to happen to see who is truly faithful to Him,” Gabriel said. “What if He is allowing all angels to make their own decisions, just like Lucifer speaks of, before He comes back and reveals the truth? What then, Arrayah?”
She gazed harshly at him and then turned away before whispering, “You can’t possibly understand, but I am too deep into this now.” Gabriel stepped in closer to hear her. “I know things you can’t imagine. I know you can’t understand what it’s like to have someone as close to you as Delia is to me, but even if I thought Lucifer was wrong, I wouldn’t leave her. Ever.”
“I do understand that. The only difference is I feel that way for two people. One I barely know but I know is already a part of me.” She looked down, understanding him perfectly. “The other has always been a part of me. I know what you saw between Michael and me was terrible, but he is my most beloved friend and my greatest rival. Most of all, he is my equal. I know in my heart when he is telling the truth, and I can’t leave him just like you can’t leave Delia.” He placed a hand on her arm, and this time she did not slap it away. “Arrayah, come with me. Please. We can come back for Delia when we are stronger.”
She winced. She looked up at Delia with loving eyes, but then her focus shifted to Lucifer. Her face hardened, and her back stiffened. “It is your decision about what you will believe. I cannot make you choose either way. But I will tell you this: I have made up my mind, so don’t try to convince me otherwise if you are suddenly back on God’s side!”
Lucifer still spoke behind their conversation, and the crowd roared every few seconds. Gabriel just wanted to go somewhere quieter. “You aren’t as sure as you would have me believe. You didn’t think it would go this far when all of it first started, did you? It’s not too late to get out you know.”
“I believe Lucifer!” Arrayah shouted. After a moment, she looked down. She wasn’t sure. “And yes, it is too late to turn back now even if I wanted to.”
Gabriel shook his head and became silent when he heard more cheers from the crowd. He turned his focus back on Lucifer’s speech.
“I will lead you to our new order,” Lucifer stated. His voice was smooth and bold. “We will be raised above the Lord God soon, and we will unmask ourselves when He tries to make a stand against us.”
“That is only if He ever shows back up!” yelled an angel from the crowd. Other angels chimed in remarks, but Lucifer’s voice was still easily heard.
“Oh, He will show back up, and when He does, He will have no idea how many are with us. I will confront Him about all of His many lies! Any angel who opposes us until then will be crushed along with Him.”
After Gabriel heard that, he could no longer take it. His heart was telling him to fly away as quickly as possible and get to Michael, but there was one problem. The other portion of his heart was standing right next to him. He wouldn’t leave Arrayah in the hands of Lucifer. There had to be a way to protect them both.
“Don’t you see, Arrayah? Michael and a seraph warned me of what would happen before any of this started. I realize now they were right. Listening to Lucifer now, everything makes sense. He is not trying to make everyone equal or uncover lies. He is trying to exalt himself, and he is using his own lies to accomplish his agenda!”
Arrayah’s face flushed crimson. “I can’t believe you just said that. Did you not just throw your own best friend through a bunch of orange trees? Did you not just tell me you wanted to come see Lucifer so you could join us? Now, all of a sudden, you change your mind even after you have seen how quickly he is gaining power? That makes no sense, Gabriel!”
“My mind was never completely made up. I know now I am here because of you, and I believe I am supposed to save you from this. I have a very bad feeling about what is happening here. Michael foretold this, and he told me that he saw you in his vision facing the consequences. You were turning black and screaming, Arrayah. I didn’t want to tell you, but that is what made me so angry with him today. I know Michael, and I know now that it must be true.”
“What? Turning black?”
“I don’t know exactly what it means, but you have to trust me. I can’t lose you.” He could see Arrayah was scared, and so was he. She was at a loss for words. “I have to believe Michael was shown that dream and we met so that I could save you. Nothing else makes sense.”
Saraquel made a gap in the crowd not far from them, pushing angels aside with his long, bony arms. Gabriel realized he was headed for them when he heard his scratchy voice.
“Arrayah, Gabriel, is everything all right?” coughed Saraquel with a cloud of smoke emanating from his breath.
“We are fine, Saraquel. Just give us a minute, please,” said Gabriel quickly.
“Is everything all right, Arrayah?”
Arrayah gave a small nod. Gabriel wasn’t happy with the black-haired archangel, considering he had just answered the question. “I said give us a minute, Saraquel.”
“I believe she can answer for herself.”
Arrayah pulled herself together and straightened her posture. “I am fine.”
“Are you sure? Is he bothering you?” Saraquel jerked his head toward Gabriel, and his stringy hair whipped across his face.
Gabriel clenched his forearm muscles in restraint. “That is enough. You heard her answer, so please leave us.”
“I would watch your insolent tone around here, for you are not on friendly ground if you raise your fist at me, Gabriel.” He coughed hard after he finished. His hiss was lower than Gabriel was accustomed to. He had a new air of confidence, and considering they both knew Gabriel was stronger if the situation became physical, Gabriel didn’t know where it was coming from.
“You are insignificant to me, Saraquel, and should it come to it, you will see how insignificant.”
“I take it you have made your decision not to follow us,” said Saraquel.
“You are correct, and Arrayah is coming with me. You can tell Lucifer that we are coming for Delia as well.” Arrayah sucked in a breath and pivoted to look at Gabriel.
Saraquel began to laugh. “Do you really think Lucifer is just going to let you take Arrayah from here? From him? You have no idea who you are dealing with. You know nothing about Lucifer.” Again Saraquel wheezed through a coughing fit until he caught his breath. “You don’t even know anything about Arrayah. She is as much of a deceiver as the Lord you follow.” Saraquel finished with a challenging grin.
“I would watch what you say.”
“Look at her. Do you think she cares about you? She only cares about herself. She’s using you!”
Arrayah shut her eyes. She didn’t contradict him. Gabriel noticed, but he didn’t even turn toward her. Instead, he lunged and grabbed Saraquel by the throat. Gabriel leaped skyward, lifting Saraquel with him about thirty feet in the air before spiking him into the rocky hillside. Saraquel’s body hit the ground so hard that the vibrations caused a shower of rocks to come sliding off of the mountain. Almost everyone turned around to see what happened. Gabriel wasn’t sure if Lucifer noticed.
Saraquel crawled out of the crevice his body had created
. Although wounded, he jumped into the air and flew straight at Gabriel. Gabriel dodged to the right at the last second and grabbed him in a headlock. “Apologize to her!”
Barely able to breathe, Saraquel choked out, “It is the truth, Gabriel. She has deceived you.”
Gabriel tightened his grip on Saraquel’s neck, his wings beating hard to keep them both aloft, and Saraquel began to tap on Gabriel’s forearm.
“Now!”
“I am sorry, Arrayah!” gasped Saraquel.
“Say it again and mean it!”
“I am sorry.”
Gabriel released Saraquel and pushed him away. Saraquel tore off holding his throat and shoulder. He flew straight toward the summit where the leaders stood. Below, Arrayah looked up in shock. As he glided down beside her, Gabriel didn’t know how she was going to react.
“Gabriel, that was not smart! Thank you for standing up for me, but you must go now. Saraquel is going to get Lucifer and the others. You must get out of here.” She pointed toward the heavens and then peered over to the mountaintop where Lucifer, Delia, and Abbeus continued to address the crowd.
“I won’t leave you here with them,” said Gabriel.
Arrayah shoved him hard. “Please! You must leave now. You don’t understand how powerful Lucifer is!”
“I am powerful too. I won’t leave you, Arrayah.”
“You don’t understand. I’ve seen Lucifer do things.”
“What?” A crowd was watching them, and in the distance Saraquel was nearing the summit.
Arrayah’s eyes were dark and wide. She whispered so the onlookers couldn’t hear. “He showed me something you wouldn’t believe.”
“What do you mean? What did he do?”
“I don’t know. It couldn’t move though. It wouldn’t wake up.”
“I can barely hear you. What wouldn’t wake up? I don’t understand.”
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