Artificial Light (Evolution of Angels Book 3)

by Wall, Nathan

  “Impossible—how could you not know?” Sobek slammed his closed fists together and paced in a circle. “It was him. I know it. I saw him once...”

  “That was ages ago.” Khnum rolled his eyes, filled with contempt.

  “My memory is still fresh!” Sobek shouted, his pale green Aurascales shifting over his face, projecting a long snout until it looked like a crocodile. “Need I remind you how well I led my part of the legion against Lucifer?”

  “If it is Azrael, then he’s not at full power. He has no wings.” Horus walked between the two squabbling guardians, looking at the many angels his father once commanded. They turned to him, silent, yet he was still a bit unsure of himself. Isis nodded at him, almost as if she were aware of the sights and sounds growing in his mind. “This alone doesn’t tell us anything. Maybe he has to earn complete reinstatement in Heaven before granted full form with use of his starstone and aurascales. Nevertheless, there has been destruction in other places following that incident. Whatever happened wasn’t a one-time thing...”

  “So what you’re saying is you don’t know anything,” Khnum laughed.

  “Watch your tone when speaking to him.” Anubis wrapped his hand clear around Khnum’s neck and lifted him off the ground. Anubis was an odd sight in the room, almost two feet taller than the next largest angel, with skin the color of wet clay on the banks of a slow-moving river. Not a single bead of sweat broke from his skin, nor did his arm tense as he lifted Khnum to his eye level.

  “We can’t say it was Azrael because we didn’t see him in person. Some of the descendants of Olympus that were captured also spoke of a fake Zeus. Remakes, they call them. They claim the humans have figured out how to duplicate our kind.” Horus put his hand to the back of Anubis’ shoulder. His cousin dropped Khnum to the floor. Horus’ back and neck started to perspire as the light he saw began to give off heat.

  “So the favored ones have themselves turned away from Father,” Khnum cackled while glaring at Anubis and rubbing his own neck. “The end is near and we have no faction head. Instead, we’re split between two leaders.”

  “My mother leads this Corner!” Horus yelled.

  “She’s not an Archangel, and it’s obvious to all those not blinded by loyalty that her power fades,” Sobek said, though it obviously pained him to do so. His words were the most deafening of all. “Amun has every bit as much of a claim to head this legion as she. They both have seniority. After all, he was the one who saved us.”

  “It’s time to join Vishnu’s Corner and try to salvage a future before tribulation is upon us,” Khnum interjected, ignoring Horus and talking to those around him who he still held influence over. “The last war is ahead. The signs of the end times have shone brighter than the first morning star. Soon the seven years will be here, and by then it’ll be too late to choose a direction.”

  “I don’t think you understand what you’re suggesting,” said Sobek. “What do you honestly expect to accomplish?”

  “To save our kind, just like Khali suggested.” Khnum glared at Horus for a second, and then turned back to the others. “It can be done, if enough of us stand together. There is power among our stars still.”

  “That was tried by another in the beginning, Khnum, and he failed miserably. Zeus’ and Thor’s legions were wiped out in similar battles,” Isis said, leaning forward on her throne. “We’re neither strong nor prepared enough for any such action. We can only hope for forgiveness.”

  “So you’re in agreement with Amun?” Sobek asked, looking towards Isis. “Please, sister, I would not lead us astray. You know this.”

  “Not intentionally,” Isis replied.

  “Father offers no such thing to us.” Khnum turned around, walking up the steps towards Isis before Anubis and Horus stood in his way. He looked at the two cousins, raised his hands in surrender, and stepped backwards. “Take it from someone who has visited man’s realm from time to time. There are more of us hiding in the shadows—factionless—than we’re allowed to believe. We lack a true leader. Vishnu is the last who is powerful enough to take command. Together we can outnumber the assault Lucifer helmed.”

  “Vishnu isn’t half the angel Lucifer was,” Sobek sighed. “The energy from his star would be enough to wipe whole legions out. I think many forget just how magnificent he was. If he couldn’t win...”

  “So you just accept defeat?” Khnum’s voice boomed.

  “I don’t believe this is defeat,” Sobek replied, shaking his head.

  “I won’t entertain this debate any further.” Isis stood, slamming the end of her staff onto the floor. The tap resonated for a few seconds before dying a slow death amongst the blank stares of the other angels. “To ignore the warning signs of tribulation would be foolish.”

  Khnum smiled, folding his arms and winking at Sobek.

  “To challenge Michael and his legion is just plain stupidity,” she continued.

  Sobek chuckled, turning his nose up towards Khnum and silently clapping. Khnum lowered his arms, clenching his fists as he squinted at Isis. She looked him square in the eyes, her resolve not wavering, and stood between Horus and Anubis.

  “Khnum, I acknowledge your fears and appreciate your concern, but we will not align ourselves under Vishnu’s star.” Isis folded her arms around her son and nephew, turning her gaze up towards Horus. “Come, son, there is more to discuss.”

  She nodded at her brain trust and then walked into the darkness with Horus alongside. Khnum continued to shout at her, but his words fell on deaf ears. A large wall slid up from the floor, separating the throne room from Isis’ private chamber, muting the grumblings of her faction. When she and Horus were out of sight, she collapsed onto her bed. Horus rushed to her side, wrapping his arms around her.

  “Are you ill?” he asked, gripping her shoulders firmly. He lifted her and laid her flat on the bed, propping her head up. Kneeling down, he took her hand. “How long has it been fading?”

  “I was about to ask you the same thing.” She smiled at him, caressing his soft face with her fingers. “Every time I gaze upon the sparkle in your eyes, I see your father looking back at me.”

  “Let me return the power I borrowed.” He held his hand up and a pieced-together starstone constructed itself in the palm of his hand. The energy between the two mismatched halves surged over the outside of the stone, fluctuating in color between pink and green. He split the stone apart, a jagged line forming along the edges of both halves, and revealed two different glowing centers. “Take it. Keep your strength so those growing in allegiance to Amun no longer question you.”

  “It would save me, but not for long. It is true that his power remains steadfast. I know not how he is able to maintain it.” She closed his hand around the stone and pushed it back against his chest. “But your light can grow beyond anything creation has seen—if only you’d believe it.”

  “I don’t understand.” His head hung over the starstone in his lap.

  “Go and be the link to bridge the lost.” She yawned and closed her eyes. “The answers to everything lie somewhere between Khnum and Sobek. They’re not completely wrong.”

  A gut-wrenching symphony blast shook through Horus’ body, and the light that hovered in his sight surged. He crumbled to the ground as his mother’s words were drowned out by the deep, pulsating rumbling of brass instruments.

  His eyes glazed over. Everything in his field of view disintegrated. Formed together by stray bands of light, a palace took shape behind large golden gates. He looked around as others marched towards a man blowing a horn. They were illusions, and soon everything returned to normal.

  “What was that?” he asked, dry heaving. His mouth trembled and his clammy grip slipped from his mother’s arms. “That wasn’t a normal call.”

  “It was the call for the Archangels,” she whispered. “Your father was an Archangel. You’ve inherited his hearing and sight. When Gabriel calls the other Archangels, they hear the same thing. Your father used to react this ve
ry way.”

  “Can they... see me in turn?”

  “We are shielded from their eyes here,” she replied, turning him around and rubbing the side of his face. “I would suspect the sounds you hear are in response to the troubles recently. Heaven is surely on edge, if indeed this isn’t Azrael.”

  “The contact, Svarog, was adamant it wasn’t.” He paused. “Maybe Khnum is right.”

  “Maybe Sobek, too.” She straightened his face out and gazed lovingly into his eyes.

  “How so? If Azrael is not back, then why would Heaven have supported this Death?”

  “He is a horseman, though nobody knows if that is literal or figurative.” She delicately slid her fingers through his hair, rubbing him the same way she did when he was a child. “Go back and find the one who wears Azrael’s armor. See if he can be made our friend, or if he brings the end of time.”

  She pushed her starstone towards Horus, fusing it once and for all with Osiris’ stone. The energy pulsated together and became too much for her to grasp, so Horus took hold of the beaming artifact. The angelic armors of his parents surged over him. Only the blood in his veins could command the energy.

  “Take this as a token of where we came from, so that you can shape where we’re headed.” She placed a triangular medallion that looked as if it was one part of a larger set around his neck. “Safeguard it as you would your own heart.”

  Their entire palace went dark, and the moans of the walls pushing back against the vacuum of space filled the air with apprehension. His facial armor formed, returning balance to the darkness and bringing his mother into focus. She couldn’t see him, but knew her son continued to watch over her.

  “You don’t have much time,” she said, leaning back and resting her eyes.

  “The others will turn against you when they realize what you’ve done,” he said.

  “Then I guess you have less time than you thought.” She smiled, pulling the sheets up to her chin. “It was only a matter of time before Amun made his move to usurp command. He’s been making the play for a while now.”

  “I’ll leave Anubis—”

  “You’ll take him,” she said. He turned to look back at her, but she didn’t move. “Have Hathor bring the child to me. The future is with you now: the Angel-Born.”

  “Why did you have me rescue her?” Horus asked, remembering child he’d brought back from the human realm. “What was the point?”

  “It was something your father once said,” she yawned, squeezing his hand several times. “Something he said could give us hope, or make us cower and hide. I need to talk to this girl and find out for sure.”

  “Tell me...”

  “You carry too much burden, my son. I have faith in you.” She opened her eyes and smiled. “Now go.”

  Horus pushed away from the bed and hurried along. Energy flowed from his fingertips and through the door. It opened and closed when he passed through. Anubis was waiting for him.

  “What is happening?” Anubis asked worriedly.

  “My mother must be delirious to ask that I leave her here alone and unguarded.” Horus shook, breezing past his cousin. There was no way he would let her be vulnerable. He looked at Anubis. “You must watch over her. If anything were to happen… Guard her with your life.”

  “Of course.” Anubis nodded.

  “Command Hathor to bring the child to my mother. The matter is urgent.” Horus pushed into his quarters and knelt at the foot of his bed. His fingers clamped over the medallion around his neck. He stuffed it under his shirt and looked up at Anubis. “You’re still here.”

  “You’re leaving?” Anubis asked in shock, feverishly rubbing the back of his head. “When will you be back? Have I done something wrong?”

  “No, you’ve not.” Horus took Anubis’ hands and squeezed. “This is me trusting you. If I didn’t think you capable, I would have you by my side.” Horus stepped over to a control panel and swiped. A thin laser stream erupted from a mechanical pen and fabricated a crystal out of thin air. Three more beams shot into the center of the flickering glow, constructing the edges of the crystal. A pink light emerged in the center. “I travel back to Earth to find the one from Moscow. He will either become our friend or die by my sword.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  The Observer

  The walls of the Southern Corner’s fortress groaned as the vacuum of space sunk its fingers into the metal hull. The entire ship had lost power and emergency systems rerouted all reserve energy to stabilize the atmosphere and pressure systems, leaving everyone in the dark.

  The young girl, Rashini, clung tightly to the back of Hathor’s skirt, sticking her nose into her new friend’s back. Hathor reached behind, covered the girl’s head with her arm, and pressed her against the wall. Two men approached. Their aurascales beamed a path for them to follow. Hathor crouched and pulled Rashini down into her lap. The men passed. They were Sobek’s men.

  “We’re almost there,” Hathor whispered into Rashini’s ear. They resumed their journey. I must’ve taken this route a thousand times growing up. Three steps here into a left turn, and then straight on into the Great Hall.

  “Where are we going?” the girl asked, her eyes helplessly searching for light to absorb. There was none until they got to the Great Hall. She stopped breathing when she saw the shattered moon of the desolate planet floating in the sky just as casually as low hanging clouds would back home.

  Where am I? Rashini trembled. The dusty white of the fractured moon’s surface reflected off her pasted-open eyes. Her hand slipped from Hathor’s shirt.

  Hathor stood by Rashini with her arms over the girl’s shoulders and looked out at the scene. What has her in such a trance? Hathor asked herself. Is the sky not like this on Earth? Of course, their atmosphere turns it blue. A blue sky… The magnificence.

  “Come on, little one,” Hathor said, pulling Rashini along. “All will make sense soon enough. I promise.”

  “Am I going home?” Rashini asked.

  “I don’t know.” Hathor shrugged. Her response seemed callous and cold. She was oblivious to how her tone made tears scurry down the child’s cheeks.

  Hathor pressed her hand to the door and a light erupted underneath her palm, scanned her hand, and illuminated the entryway like a teal searchlight. The door split open. She scooped Rashini up and hurried through the entryway. The door quickly snapped shut and sealed behind them.

  Isis sat up, gliding her hand over a control panel next to her bed. Four gently glowing orbs shot up from the floor and escorted Hathor and Rashini over to the bedside. Isis smiled at the young child, extending her left hand. Rashini silently sought permission from Hathor who nodded.

  “There now, child, all will be fine. I promise,” Isis said, firmly hugging Rashini. She moved over and pulled the girl up onto the bed. When the girl was closer to Isis, she noticed the lines of age along the queen’s tanned cheek.

  “Are you my papa’s age?” she asked.

  “No, child. I am much older.” Isis smiled. “I will try to make things better, but you have to answer some questions. Is that OK? You’re going to have to think about some bad things and they might upset you.”

  “She’s been through a lot,” Hathor interjected, sitting at the foot of the bed, folding her small, delicate hands into her lap.

  “She’s a strong girl. Aren’t you sweetie?” Isis gave Hathor a firm gaze, keeping her head directed at Rashini. “I need you to think back. Do you remember what happened before you got here?”

  Rashini broke down, covering her eyes. Her black hair fell over her face and her body shook with a forceful wail. Isis gently massaged Rashini’s back, shushing her with a soothing tone.

  “Someone will hear.” Hathor stood and looked around worriedly.

  “I can’t!” Rashini bellowed, shaking her head. Her hands clamped over her ears. “Papa,” she cried, cringing. “The guns were loud.” She shoved her face into Isis’ chest and wailed. “They killed my sisters.”


  “I know.” Isis moved her hand gently through Rashini’s hair and along her left cheek. She pulled the girl in closer and connected their foreheads. “But that’s not what I’m talking about. What did you see? Before that. Before the men dragged you away. The burning man, you called him.”

  Rashini froze. Air couldn’t even weasel its way into her lungs.

  “Yes.” Isis grinned. “You know him.”

  “I...” Rashini stopped speaking and tried to pull away. Isis’ soft, reassuring hug turned into shackles. Rashini pulled back with all her might, but Isis yanked her into her clutches, wrapping her arms all the way around the girl.

  “You’re scaring her.” Hathor jumped up, breathing heavily, initially lunging for Isis before hesitating. She turned her head to the floor, unable to watch Rashini struggle.

  “The burning man, little girl. Tell me more,” Isis commanded. “Who else knows?”

  Screams erupted from the other side of the chamber door. Hathor’s nervous gaze shifted towards the barrier. The center where the two sliding doors met glowed with radiant orange heat. The metal sizzled as steam rose off the door.

  “Tell me now before they come.” Isis squeezed tighter around Rashini’s wrists. “I cannot help you if you don’t tell me everything. The burned man, child. Tell me.”

  “Ma’am, what’s going on?” Hathor asked, hyperventilating. Hathor grabbed Isis by the arms, yanked them apart, and pulled the young girl away to cradle her. She moved backwards, stopping in the dark corner of the room.

  “It’s too late.” Isis shook her head and pounded a pillow.

  The barrier to her room melted apart. Amun walked through and placed a palm to Isis’ shoulder. She slapped his hand away and he threw her to the floor.