by Holly Hunt
I gathered up the magic I could feel in the clearing, gathering it into one space. I called up the spirit of Sera from her place in Limbo, and melted into the background to watch as my former wife stepped from the tree.
Clarissa stumbled backwards, looking at Sera. The Angel looked like a clone of Clarissa. But I now knew that Clarissa wasn't Sera—Sera was more devious and underhanded than Clarissa, I could see that now. No one, not even Sera, would ever measure up to my Issa.
Sera's hand fell immediately to her stomach, and she seemed surprised to find that it was flat. "Thank you so much—" she crowed, then slapped her hands over her mouth.
Clarissa stumbled back another step, and Sera frowned at her, her gratefulness gone.
"My name is Sera Grigori," she said, slowly and carefully, as though talking to a child. "Did you bring me here?"
Clarissa shook her head, relaxing slightly. "No, that was Lucifer. He's the King of Hell."
Sera looked puzzled, then seemed to realize something. "I was married to Lucifer before the Fall. His name was Samyaza then." She smiled slightly. "It wasn't until we Fell that he took on his current name."
Clarissa nodded, relaxing slightly though, for some odd reason, she seemed reserved, wary of Sera.
"How do you know him?" Sera asked Clarissa.
That question seemed to make Clarissa even more wary, and she took a step back. I felt Clarissa's magic flex, and she suddenly looked human, her wings vanishing. Sera was polite enough to do the same.
"My name is Clarissa Avario. I am the Queen of Hell."
Ah. I understood the wariness now; she was staking a claim on me. Sera didn't seem as upset about the news that she'd been replaced as she should have been. There was something strange going on here. I tried to stop the flow of magic, but something blocked me. I couldn't move, I could only watch and listen to the women talk.
"So Sam found himself a replacement for me. How long did it take him?" Sera asked, sounding both bitter and happy.
"Five thousand years."
Sera blinked, stunned to silence. Clarissa looked haughty, but I could still see the wariness in her eyes, though there was also love when she spoke of me. It made my eternally-beating heart skip a few beats.
Sera recovered, frowning slightly. "Do you wish to know something, or be given my blessing to court Sam? Not that you need it."
"I didn't bring you here, Sera," she said, shaking her head at me. "That was Lucifer."
"Why would he want us to meet? For all he knows, I could kill you."
"I've been wondering about the Fall a lot lately, and I think he wanted my mind settled on it once and for all." Clarissa wandered over to a fallen log.
"And I suppose you want to know my story?" Sera asked, watching her. "Who have you heard the story from?"
"Well, I grew up learning the 'official version,' the one in the Bible. According to that, Luce got tired of God's way of running things, and tried to take over."
"Wrong," Sera said quickly. "Sam liked his place at God's side. That's why he negotiated to take Hell rather than be destroyed altogether."
Clarissa nodded. "Then I know Luce's version, that he refused to sleep with God, and God threw him from Heaven as punishment."
"That's complete bullshit."
Clarissa kept talking, watching Sera. "Then I have the story from your brother's perspective."
"Which one?"
"Aspen."
"You have met Aspen?" she asked, visibly puzzled.
"And some of the others."
Clarissa nodded, looking up at the Fallen Angel and shielding her eyes with her hand. "Lucifer convinced God to allow Aspen to return as a cat, and he decided he wanted to spend his life with your look-alike."
"I bet Aspen had a lot of glowing words about Sam," Sera said dryly, sitting down on the log.
"He hated Luce in the beginning. He told me his version of the Fall, trying to discredit Luce's version. But they were amazingly similar. He said that the male Angels were thrown from Heaven because you became pregnant and God didn't want you to breed."
Sera laughed, and my lips wanted to twitch. Aspen was fiercely loyal to Azazel and Sera of course, but he would have no qualms lying to everyone—and anyone—else.
"What?" Clarissa asked, wary again. "Did Aspen get it wrong?"
Sera nodded, still laughing. "It's the closest, but it's still wide of the mark."
Clarissa frowned, glaring across the field. "And will you tell me the truth? If I ask for it?"
Sera nodded, curbing her laughter and wiping the tears from her eyes. "I will tell you the truth, Clarissa, simply because it might put the world in perspective for you. Then you might be able to see which is the good and which is the bad in this universe."
Interlude
Long Ago
"Aunt Sera? Sera, where are you?" called Ramon, my nephew, searching through the cubicles of Level Six.
I was on the telephone, and motioned for him to wait until I'd finished talking to the Technical Department before he could talk.
"Well, I don't care how many times the guy prays for his computer to come back online, Baraqiel, don't grant every prayer just because you can." I listened for a second, then nodded. "It's your last warning, Baraqiel. Heaven can't afford to pay for all of these granted prayers."
Something was muttered on the other end of the phone, and I saw Ramon looking around the office, trying to find something in the sparse décor to keep his attention.
"See that it doesn't." I hung up the phone and scribbled on a form before shoving it into my 'Out' tray. "What is it, Ramon?" I asked, rubbing at my forehead.
"Remember how you told me to come get you if Uncle Sam went up to Her again?"
My pen stilled, my eyes narrowing on the form. "Yes?"
"Well, this is me coming to get you."
I stood up quickly, my face scrunched up in fury. I let myself go for a second, and Ramon reeled back, frightened by the power he could feel coming from me. It wasn't an Angel's power, the ability to help some people and do some minor magic. This was fully-fledged magic, equal to—if not surpassing— Jehovah's own power.
"Get Azazel, Beelzebub and Leviathan," I growled, stalking towards the elevator. "This ends now."
~ * ~
Sam was pulling on his pants when the elevator doors opened. I thundered into Seventh Heaven, throwing the elevator doors open and cracking two of them.
"Sera, no—!"
I pulled back my fist and slammed it into Jehovah's face. Jehovah stumbled backwards on the bed, staring at me.
"Sam is my husband," I snapped at God, dragging the woman to Her feet by the robe that covered Her naked body. "Stay the fuck away from him. I don't care if you're God, if you wanted him, you should have taken him when you created him."
Jehovah had a hand to the side of Her face, staring at me. "You hit me," She whispered.
I threw Jehovah back on the bed with contempt. I turned to Lucifer. "Out."
"Sera—"
"Don't talk to me. Get out."
Sam ran from Seventh Heaven, but before he got to the doors, Jehovah spoke.
"You hit me, Sera."
Jehovah struck, dragging me off the floor by my throat. I slammed into Her with my magic, but it did very little to injure Her. I scratched at Her hand, my nails leaving deep, bleeding grooves in the skin.
"Let her go!" Sam cried, charging towards us as the elevator opened again.
Azazel, Aspen's wife Inga, Baraqiel, Leviathan, and Beelzebub were suddenly there, throwing themselves into the mix. Jehovah wrenched me back away from them, Her grip tightening.
"Come any closer, and she, with your unborn child, will die," Jehovah spat at my family.
Samyaza stilled. "What?"
Jehovah's grin spread and She looked at me, trying to break Her fingers. "So you didn't tell him? Naughty girl..." Jehovah squeezed my throat harder, making me pass out for a second.
Azazel and Inga flew forward, the female Angel grabbing hold
of my limp form and trying to drag me from Jehovah's grip as Azazel attacked God.
God knocked Azazel flying as he yanked at Her hair. He slammed into the white column on the other side of the room, and half of the family flew forward. Azazel got shakily to his feet, one wing hanging useless on the ground, while Beelzebub ripped Jehovah's head back, trying to slit her throat.
Inga dragged me from Jehovah's sight, behind Her oak desk. The family attacked Jehovah, dragging Her further and further away from me.
"Enough!" Jehovah thundered as Beelzebub dragged Her back another foot by Her blonde hair.
The Angels, including me, were suddenly arranged in a line in front of Her. I fought the hold, pouring my magic into fighting Her magical grip, but it was merely exhausting me.
Jehovah looked at the line of Angels with contempt. "This family loyalty thing is fascinating, don't get me wrong," She said, smiling at Sam, "but it's stupid. It just got you all banished from Heaven."
The boys' muscles quaked, as though they were trying to break Her hold to argue. Baraqiel managed to open her mouth, but no sound came out.
"Bye," Jehovah snapped, and all but Inga, Sam and I vanished.
"As for you two," Jehovah said to Inga and me, "You should have known better than to get involved, especially you, Inga. You're a Level Five Child Department veteran. You had no interest in this."
"You sent my husband to Earth, forced into a cat's shape," Inga snapped, breaking free of Jehovah's hold. "You deserved that broken rib."
"Aspen chose that shape, Inga. The loyalty you show to your husband is misplaced." Jehovah's eyes narrowed. "He chose to get away from you."
Inga opened her mouth to snarl a protest, but vanished.
"Where did you send my sister?" I demanded, spitting at Jehovah's feet.
"To the boys. I'm sure Azrael and his wife Rianna will look after her in Limbo," Jehovah snapped, then looked to Lucifer. I fought Her magic with my own, trying desperately to free myself.
"I'll give you a chance, Sam," She said, sauntering up to him. "Stay here with me, and I won't kill your wife."
"But—"
"Don't you—"
"Fine." Jehovah looked back to Sam. "If you won't lead by my side, then I'm going to strip your love and your power from you. You can lead the family you doomed, and live forever with the sins of mankind."
Sam tried to protest, but the floor opened under his feet, the crevasse reaching below me and sending me falling through space. He fell with me, trying desperately to grab my hand. I fought against Jehovah's magic, and got one wing free of her hold. I flapped it, frantic, panicked, trying to lift myself back to Seventh Heaven, where Jehovah watched us.
She made a tearing motion, and pain flew across my back and up my wings. I felt them ripped from me, the sinews, the muscles, the skin splitting apart from my body.
I screamed, feeling Her magic smother me, preventing me from healing my wings. Sam was torn away from me, while I screamed, blood pouring from my back and off into the air like scarlet rain.
"Lucifer!" I shrieked as I hit the treetops.
The ground rushed up to meet me, and I felt every bone in my body break. My skin split from the force, and I was conscious just long enough to watch my heart stop beating as my Sam landed beside it.
Twenty Four
Clarissa Avario
I watched Sera as she told me her story. I stared, entranced by the hollow quality to her voice, a voice that spoke of history years—centuries—millennia before I was born.
"I don't blame either of them," Sera said sadly, looking me in the eye. "I have blamed them for what happened, both God and Sam. I was a threat that needed to be eliminated, nothing more. He wanted to punish Sam and Aspen for their pranks, for adding to His universe without the proper paperwork and authorization, done in triplicate, signed, sealed, rerouted, lost and returned. Sam killed me, defying God as he did. God didn't have a right to destroy me like that, but I have given up on hating Him—it is too much effort."
I couldn't help but stare at Sera. She looked like some long-lost, celestial twin. I could hear the emotions in her voice—she truly did not blame Lucifer for what happened now, but neither was she pissed beyond action at God.
Something approached from the woods behind us. My experience with the Hellraisers was still fresh on my mind, and I leaped to my feet, backing away from the sound. I was growling, my teeth bared, and I could feel my wings appearing from my back—they would make me seem bigger, more threatening, to anything wanting to attack me.
Lucifer emerged from the woods, and he smiled at me. I could see wariness and relief in his eyes. "You can let the magic go, Issa. It's only me. I'm not going to do you any
harm."
I smiled in relief, feeling my wings vanishing. I stepped into his arms, grinning and hugging him as he hugged me. I'd forgotten about Sera, sitting on the log.
"Clarissa," she called, and I looked at her. She was standing up, smiling at me. One hand was on her stomach, the other held out to me. "Come here."
I was wary of her. What if there was some sort of trick, or a ruse or something? What if touching her would swap our places?
I couldn't help it. I glanced at Lucifer, and Sera laughed.
"I'm not going to hurt you," Sera said with a sigh. "I'm going to give you something."
I swallowed and stepped away from Lucifer. He let me go, smiling reassuringly at me. I smiled shakily back, stepping from his arms. I tried to keep one hand in his, but he let me go.
"Go on," he said with a smile.
I nodded, swallowing again. Hesitantly, I reached out my hand and touched Sera's.
There was a second of cold as Sera's hand passed through mine, then the pain hit me. The icy feeling of Sera's transparent hand was lost as waves of pain rolled up my arm. It felt like something was trying to crawl up my arm, to slide between my skin and my bones. I wanted to scream with the pain, but it was so much like the Hellraisers that I was quiet, only just allowing a whimper through my lips.
It felt like a second, metallic skin growing under my own. I watched Sera's hand, marveling at the way it seemed to be feeding into my skin, then my legs buckled.
"Clarissa?" Lucifer called, worried. He took a step before me, but stopped, staring at Sera. "What are you doing to her?"
"Now God's will be done and I can rest in peace!" she said and laughed. "I finally get to go back to Heaven, where I should have been all this time! I finally get to get rid of that thing in my stomach, free to see my own feet, free from morning sickness, forever! Praise be to Our Lord Jehovah, God Almighty!"
I heard a growl like a gorilla's battle snarl, and Lucifer was there, holding me to his chest, one hand pointing at the space Sera had occupied, but which was now empty.
My eyes were losing their focus, and for a second I could have sworn that I could see myself from some other point of view. I was lying on my side, staring off into the woods, Sera's hand still on mine.
Then...
Darkness.
Interlude
Jehovah
I was in my office, alone for the first time in eons. I watched Samyaza on my screens. I was cackling and laughing as Sam let himself go and sobbed into Clarissa's shoulder. I danced on the spot, whooping and cackling, as he broke, five thousand years' worth of pain rolling down his cheeks.
"Boss?" Michael asked, landing inside the open wall to my right.
I stopped dancing and looked at him, my perfect smile displaying more than my customary seven teeth—I was so happy that even my obsessive-compulsive disorder didn't stand between me and a proper smile.
"I did it!" I crowed, and returned to my dancing. "The human is dead, and Sam cannot bring her back! He will never love again!" I punched the air, as I'd seen humans do, and went back to dancing.
"Did what?" Michael asked, frowning slightly.
"Killed that stupid girl!" I cackled, then cleared my throat. "Well done, Michael."
Michael followed me as I sat behind
my desk, standing in front of me, even as the other six Archangels landed just inside the open wall.
"The objective was achieved, boys. Well done, all of you." I sat back in my seat, twisting my pencil between my fingers. Even now, I couldn't keep the smile from my face. Samyaza would never love again. I was once more the most powerful being in my Universe.